ty  PRINCETON,  N.  J.  **ff 


Presented    byW<2,5\  ^<S/X^V^T?AV\or\  . 


„1926.1'  DaVld  3ameS)  184J 
The  morning  cometh.» 


"THE  MORNING  COMETH." 


TALKS  FOR  THE  TIMES 


BY 


REV.  DAVID  JAMES  BURRELL,  D.  D. 


AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY, 

150  NASSAU  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 


COPYRIGHT, 

AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY, 

1893. 


CONTENTS. 


Watchman,  What  of  the  Night? page      5 

The  Pilot  of  the  Fleet 15 

The  Soul's  Moorings 28 

The  Children  in  the  Market-Place $7 

Let  Us  Go  On 47 

A  Sensational  Gospel 56 

Character  Building 67 

Seven  Wonders 75 

Solomon  ;  or,  a  Worldly  Wiseman  at  his  Best 83 

Asking  the  Way 92 

The  Work  of  the  Comforter 100 

The  Mother  of  Jesus 108 

Come  In,  Thou  Blessed  of  the  Lord.    A  New  Year's  Meditation.  117 

The  Testimony  of  Infidels  to  the  Truth  of  Christianity 125 

The  Church  and  the  People - 140 

The  Church  in  the  Catacombs 148 

A  Busy  Man's  Blunder 156 

The  Baptism  of  Jesus 164 

The  Pharisee's  Prayer 172 

The  Publican's  Prayer 180 


4  CONTENTS. 

Washington's  Religion 188 

The  Bible  being  Disposed  of,  What  Then? 198 

The  Lost  Name 209 

The  Old  Landmarks 219 

The  Least  Commandment _ 227 

Singing  as  we  Journey 235 

The  Happy  Man 243 

What  Makes  a  Gentleman? 253 

Darkness  at  High  Noon 260 

What  Christianity  Has  Done  for  the  Workingman 268 

Shall  We  Know  Each  Other  in  Heaven? 277 

We  Beheld  his  Glory 2S7 

Judas  Iscariot;  or,  the  Flower,  Fruit,  and  Ashes  of  Sin 296 

Ahab's  Harness 3°4 

The  Song  of  the  Vineyard 3" 


4  4 


The  Morning  Cometh." 


WATCHMAN,  WHAT  OF  THE  NIGHT? 


"The  burden  of  Dumah.  He  calleth  to  me  out  of  Seir,  Watchman, 
what  of  the  night?  Watchman,  what  of  the  night?  The  watch- 
man said,  The  morning  cometh,  and  also  the  night:  if  ye  will 
inquire,  inquire  ye:  return,  come."     Isa.  21:11,  12. 

Ours  is  probably  the  one  lost  world  of  the  universe. 
There  are  hundreds  of  millions  of  worlds  floating  in  the 
sea  of  infinite  space,  and  it  may  be  that  multitudes  of  them 
are  inhabited  ;  if  so,  the  probability  is  immense  that  not 
one  of  those  orbs  has  ever  swerved  from  its  moral  orbit. 
Sin  is  abnormal,  unnatural.  Sin  is  the  sad  prerogative  of 
the  human  race.  It  is  the  trade-mark  of  this  world  of 
ours.  If  things  transpiring  here  are  known  to  the  inhab- 
itants of  other  spheres,  the  story  of  our  disaster  must  be 
told  among  them  as  a  weird,  uncanny  tale.  It  must  be 
incomprehensible  to  beings  who  have  not  lost  their  inno- 
cency  as  children  of  God. 

It  was  an  awful  thing  when  sin  entered  into  this  world, 
and  death  by  sin.  When  God  created  it  he  said,  This  is 
very  good.  The  pride  with  which  an  artist  looks  upon 
his  master-piece  is  but  a  faint  token  of  God's  satisfaction 
with  his  perfect  work.  And  all  his  sons  shouted  for  joy. 
When  he  created  man  he  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the 
breath  of  a  divine  and  immortal  life ;  and  thenceforth,  so 
to  speak,  he  expected  great  things  of  him.    If  all  the  hopes 


6  "  THE    MORNING   COMETH." 

which  fond  fathers  are  entertaining  for  their  children,  if 
all  the  dreams  of  loving  mothers  looking  down  into  the 
cradles  of  their  little  ones,  were  bound  in  one,  they  could 
but  faintly  shadow  forth  the  purposes  which  were  in  the 
divine  heart  with  respect  to  the  newly  created  race. 

Then  came  the  fall.  We  sometimes  speak  of  it  lightly. 
Perhaps  the  controversies  of  the  ages  have  taught  us  lev- 
ity. The  secular  press  is  wont  to  speak  facetiously  of  the 
eating  of  the  forbidden  fruit  and  to  quote  jocosely  the  old 
New  England  rhyme : 

11  In  Adam's  fall 
We  sinned  all." 

But  oh,  beloved,  it  was  no  slight  matter  when  the  world 
swung  out  of  its  orbit.  We  mourn  when  a  ship  goes 
down.  Our  hearts  ache  and  tremble  when  the  famine  and 
the  pestilence  sweep  over  a  neighbor  land.  What  then 
must  have  been  the  responsive  thrill  in  the  celestial  worlds 
when  it  was  known  that  the  newly  peopled  earth  had 
passed  into  the  dark  shadow  of  spiritual  death!  It  was  as 
if  the  noonday  sun  had  suddenly  gone  out.  Hope  and 
noble  purposes  and  aspirations  all  ceased,  as  birds  hush 
their  songs  and  fold  their  wings  at  twilight.  The  earth 
was  enveloped  in  night. 

Night  is  the  time  when  mists  hang  over  the  valley 
and  miasms  rise  from  stagnant  pools.  Night  is  the  time 
when  bats  rustle  their  leathery  wings  and  vampires  suck 
their  fill  of  life.  Night  is  the  time  when  beasts  prowl  in 
the  forests  and  the  hyena  pursues  its  ghastly  quest  among 
the  tombs.  Night  is  the  time  when  the  pestilence  stalks 
abroad,  when  vices  come  out  of  their  lurking-places, 
when  bestiality  reels  through  the  streets  hiccoughing 
its  bacchanalian  songs.     Night  is  the  time  when  infants 


WATCHMAN,  WHAT   OF   THE   NIGHT?  7 

wail,  when  the  sick  turn  upon  their  restless  beds  and  cry, 
"  Would  God  it  were  morning  !"  when  wives  and  mothers 
press  their  anguish-stricken  faces  against  the  window- 
panes  and  hearken  for  the  sound  of  uneven  steps.  Night 
is  the  time  when  from  upper  chambers  comes  the  sound 
of  rattling  dice  and  laughter  like  the  crackling  of  thorns. 
Night  is  the  time  when  the  spark  gleams  under  the  lintel 
of  the  door  unhindered.  Night  is  the  time  when  Catiline 
meets  his  friends  and  revenges  are  plotted.  Now  silence 
reigns  unbroken  save  by  the  foot- fall  of  the  guardian  of 
the  peace.  Now  is  the  harvest  home  of  sin  and  ignorance, 
of  disease  and  death. 

How  appropriate  that  the  reign  oi  unrighteousness 
which  began  with  our  federal  head  should  be  character- 
ized as  night.  The  race  began  its  life  in  a  garden.  It 
passed  under  sentence  of  death  out  through  the  gates  to 
grope  and  suffer  and  toil.  Its  happiness  was  a  dim 
memory,  a  regretful  dream.  So  utter  and  universal  was 
this  moral  declension  that  God  is  represented  as  looking 
down  from  heaven  to  see  if  there  were  any  that  wrought 
righteousness,  and  sadly  saying,  "  There  is  none  that  doeth 
good,  no,  not  one." 

On  the  walls  of  Zion  the  watchman  paced  to  and  fro. 
And  out  of  the  deep  darkness  came  the  inquiry,  Watch- 
man, what  of  the  night  ?  Is  it  fair  or  foul  ?  What  is  the 
promise  of  the  dawn?  And  the  watchman  said,  The 
morning  cometh,and  also  the  night!  That  is,  the  shadows 
of  the  night  are  vainly  struggling  with  the  advancing  day. 

I.  Stars  of  promise.  It  was  a  glorious  thing  to  be  a 
watchman  under  the  old  economy.  Though  the  world 
was  shrouded  in  darkness  the  skies  above  were  studded 
with  the  harbingers  of  day. 

It  was  never  God's  purpose  to  leave  the  world  in  its 


8  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

estate  of  sorrow  and  death.  No  sooner  had  Adam  fallen 
than  the  protevangel  was  uttered,  "  The  seed  of  the  wo- 
man shall  bruise  the  serpent's  head."  That  was  a  bright 
star  "flaming  in  the  forehead  of  the  morning  sky;"  nay, 
rather,  it  was  a  constellation,  Draco  sub  Chris  to,  a 
mighty  one  with  a  wounded  foot  pressed  upon  a  writh- 
ing serpent's  head.  In  it  was  the  prophecy  of  the  glo- 
rious day. 

Out  on  the  heights  of  Moab  where  sacrifices  were  wont 
to  be  offered  to  the  Sun-god,  a  prophet  of  evil  sought  to 
curse  the  chosen  people.  Cursing  was  in  his  heart,  but 
God  had  laid  a  finger  on  his  lips.  Down  below  were  the 
tents  of  the  wandering  nation.  "  How  goodly  are  thy 
tents,  O  Jacob,"  cried  he  perforce,  "and  thy  tabernacles, 
O  Israel !  They  shall  be  spread  forth  as  a  garden  by  the 
river-side.  Blessed  is  he  that  blesseth  thee  and  cursed  is 
he  that  curseth  thee."  Once,  twice,  thrice  did  he  vainly 
try  to  pronounce  the  curse ;  then  his  eyes  were  greeted 
with  a  strange  vision.  He  saw  one  drawing  nigh  dimly 
through  the  darkness,  in  regal  splendor,  and  he  cried,  "  I 
shall  see  him,  but  not  now;  I  shall  behold  him,  but  not 
nigh  !  A  star  cometh  out  of  Jacob,  and  a  sceptre  out  of 
Israel  which  shall  govern  the  nations  of  the  earth." 

Along  the  bank  of  the  Euphrates  journeyed  the  father 
of  the  faithful.  To  him  in  the  long  hours  of  darkness 
were  committed  the  oracles  of  God.  Within  the  fluttering 
curtains  of  his  tent  were  the  hope  and  promise  of  the  uni- 
versal church.  Again  and  again,  when  his  heart  failed 
him,  God  led  him  out  under  the  mighty  canopy  of  the 
heavens  and  said,  "  Behold,  so  shall  thy  seed  be  !  So  shall 
be  the  multitude  of  those  who  shall  seek  righteousness 
and  honor  the  true  God." 

Thus  in  the  long  night  of  that  economy  of  shadows, 


WATCHMAN,  WHAT   OF   THE   NIGHT? 


the  stars  were  kindled  one  by  one  until  the  oracles,  like 
the  glowing  arch  above,  were  radiant  with  them. 

"  Look  how  the  floor  of  heaven 
Is  thick  inlaid  with  patines  of  bright  gold." 

It  was  the  province  of  the  watchman  to  direct  the  thought 
of  the  fallen  race  to  these  day-stars  of  promise,  these 
harbingers  of  the  approaching  Christ.  He  stood  upon 
the  walls  of  Zion  and  cried,  The  mists  and  shadows  scat- 
ter with  the  dawn;  the  night  lingereth,  but  the  day  com- 
eth! 

II.  Daybreak.  The  darkest  hour  is  just  before  the 
dawn.  There  was  a  period  of  four  hundred  years  be- 
tween the  old  and  the  new  economy  when  all  the  stars 
were  overcast  in  gloom.  All  open  vision  ceased.  Men's 
hearts  failed  them  for  fear. 

The  first  gleam  of  the  morning  was  seen  in'  far-away 
Persia  by  men  bending  over  old  parchments  whereon 
were  cabalistic  signs  and  tokens.  A  new  star  in  the 
heavens  led  them  to  the  place  where  the  Christ-child  lay. 
The  air  was  filled  with  singing— songs  of  the  angels,  of  the 
tremulous  lips  of  old  prophets,  of  the  virgin  mother,  of 
souls  waiting  for  deliverance.  Again  all  the  sons  of  God 
shouted  for  joy.  It  was  as  when  by  the  original  fiat  the 
darkness  of  chaos  was  scattered  and  the  light  shone  upon 
the  earth. 

"  God  said,  Let  there  be  light ! 
Grim  darkness  felt  his  might 

And  fled  away. 
Then  startled  mists  and  mountains  cold 
Shone  forth  all  bright  in  blue  and  gold 
And  cried,  'Tis  day,  'tis  day!" 

If  it  was  glorious  to  be  a  watchman  under  the  old  econo- 
my, how  much  more  to  walk  with  the  incarnate  Jesus  and 


IO  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

say,  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  !  His  life  was  as  the  morn- 
ing sun  shining  into  the  habitations  of  cruelty  and  the 
shadowy  vale  of  death,  yet  how  few  there  were  that  com- 
prehended the  glad  tidings  or  knew  that  the  long  looked- 
for  Golden  Age  had  come.  In  polar  lands,  when  the  weary 
winter  is  drawing  to  a  close,  the  people  climb  the  hill-tops 
and  wait  for  the  approaching  dawn.  And  when  the  crim- 
son forehead  of  the  sun  is  seen  above  the  horizon  they  call 
in  joyous  greeting  from  hill-top  to  hill-top,  "  O  beautiful 
Sun !  O  beautiful  Sun !"  How  few  there  were  to  greet 
with  joy  like  this  the  rising  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 
who  had  healing  in  his  beams !  He  came  unto  his  own 
and  his  own  received  him  not.  The  light  shone  in  dark- 
ness and  the  darkness  comprehended  it  not. 

III.  The  Sun  hastening  to  the  zenith.  If  it  was  a 
splendid  privilege  in  the  olden  time  to  point  to  the  stars 
of  promise,  if  it  was  a  joy  during  the  earthly  ministry  of 
Jesus  to  direct  men  to  the  grace  of  God  shining  in  his 
beautiful  face,  how  much  more  glorious  is  the  privilege  of 
the  watchman  now  to  stand  upon  the  walls  of  Zion  bidding 
the  world  behold  how  the  sun  shines  brighter  and  brighter 
unto  the  perfect  day.  "  Watchman,  what  of  the  night?" 
The  shadows  struggle  with  the  dawn ;  nay,  the  day  break- 
eth ;  nay,  better  still,  the  high  noon  of  truth  and  right- 
eousness draweth  nigh.  We  preach  not  the  Christ  of 
prophecy,  nor  yet  the  Christ  infleshed  and  walking  among 
men,  but  the  historic  Christ  who  has  vindicated  his  love 
and  wisdom  and  omnipotence  in  eighteen  centuries  of  tri- 
umphal progress. 

We  are  living  in  an  unfortunate  time  for  pessimists. 
The  bulk  of  religious  prosperity  was  never  so  great  since 
the  foundation  of  the  world.  The  signs  of  religious  prog- 
ress all  around  the  horizon  are  so  conspicuous  and  con- 


WATCHMAN,  WHAT   OF   THE   NIGHT?  II 

elusive  that  fault-finding  at  this  juncture  must  needs  sug- 
gest an  impairment  of  the  biliary  or  digestive  functions. 
The  arm  of  the  Lord  is  gloriously  made  bare  for  the  over- 
throw of  iniquitous  strongholds  and  for  the  upbuilding  of 
the  kingdom  of  righteousness.  Nations  of  the  earth  are 
prostrating  themselves  before  the  Lord  Christ.  The  flocks 
of  Kedar  are  gathered  together  and  the  rams  of  Nebaioth 
are  ministering  unto  him.  The  air  is  full  of  the  rustling  of 
doves'  wings  and  the  crackling  of  the  boughs  of  Lebanon. 
(Isa.  60.) 

(1.)  In  the  matter  of  Faith.  There  never  was  a  time 
in  human  history  when  men  were  so  loyal  to  the  land- 
marks of  truth.  There  never  was  a  time  when  the  blessed 
Bible  was  entrenched  in  so  many  faithful  hearts.  True, 
there  are  controversies.  God  be  praised !  The  worst 
that  ever  can  befall  the  Christian  Church  is  stagnation. 
The  kingdom  of  God  is  not  likely  to  suffer  from  any  in- 
vestigation of  its  truth.  To  be  sure,  there  are  heretics 
and  schismatics.  They  perish  by  the  way  and  their  work 
serves  but  to  strengthen  the  battlements  of  truth,  as  coral 
insects  toiling  in  unknown  depths  leave  their  bones  as  a 
contribution  to  the  continents  of  coming  ages.  The  truth 
had  never  so  many  stalwart  friends  as  it  has  this  day. 

(2.)  As  to  Christian  Ethics.  Ideals  are  higher  than 
ever.  Character  means  more.  The  character  of  Jesus 
stands  out  more  distinctly  as  the  Exemplar  of  morals. 
His  incomparable  portrait  is  the  touchstone  of  character. 
More  is  expected  of  men  than  ever  before  in  human  his- 
tory. More  is  expected  of  kings,  of  politicians,  of  mer- 
chants, of  the  average  man.  Compare  the  dignitaries  of 
our  time  with  those  of  a  few  centuries  ago  :  Queen  Victo- 
ria with  Elizabeth,  the  President  of  the  French  Republic 
with  Louis  the  Grand,  Gladstone  with  Machiavelli,  Presi- 


12  "  THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

dent  Harrison  with  our  Continental  governors,  the  citizen, 
the  country  gentleman,  the  ordinary  church-goer  or  the 
non- church-goer  with  those  of  a  hundred  years  ago.  I 
say  the  ideals  are  higher  and  men  are  more  eager  in  stri- 
ving after  them.  There  is  more  respect  for  common  hon- 
esty, for  chastity  and  temperance,  for  benevolence.  Many 
of  the  vices  that  were  common  have  disappeared  from 
public  view.  Human  life  is  held  in  higher  veneration. 
Profane  swearing  is  vulgar  now.  Gambling  is  for  the 
race-track  and  locked  chambers.  It  was  once  a  common 
thing  for  gentlemen  to  be  dragged  from  under  their  tables 
to  their  beds.  Now  public  inebriety  is  ruin  to  any  public 
man.  Baccarat,  that  would  have  been  regarded  as  a  mere 
peccadillo  in  Prince  Hal,  is  a  standing  horror  against  the 
present  Prince  of  Wales.  Loosenesses  that  once  were 
common  at  royal  courts  are  now  banished  to  the  slums. 
Our  home-life  is  sweeter  and  purer.  Fathers  have  a  more 
reasonable  tenure  of  authority.  Wives  are  more  beloved 
and  respected.  Childhood  is  granted  its  proper  rights. 
The  vices  of  society  are  more  decent  and  its  virtues  more 
conspicuous.  In  most  quarters  character  is  the  passport 
into  social  life.     Silly,  sensual  beauty  is  little  thought  of. 

"  The  rank  is  but  the  guinea  stamp : 
The  man  's  the  gowd." 

So  is  it  in  industrial  life.  The  workman  is  at  the  top.  He 
is  a  self-respecting,  honest  man,  "  who  knows  his  rights, 
and  knowing,  dare  maintain."  He  claims  an  honest  day's 
wages  for  an  honest  day's  work.  At  the  same  time 
the  rights  of  capital  are  held  securely;  and  the  controver- 
sies of  Capital  and  Labor  are  drawing  to  a  settlement 
under  the  beneficent  influence  of  the  Golden  Rule.  We 
note  a  similar  advance  in   political   ethics.     Freedom   is 


WATCHMAN,  WHAT   OF   THE   NIGHT?  1 3 

contagious.  Kings  are  held  in  restraint.  The  word  Peo- 
ple is  written  with  a  capital  initial.  Legislators  rule  in 
equity  and  courts  administer  justice  in  righteousness.  Star 
chambers  and  bloody  councils  are  antiquated  landmarks. 
Wars  are  giving  way  to  arbitration.  The  masses  are 
being  educated.  Milton's  Angel  of  Light  is  waving  his 
torch  along  the  remotest  confines  of  darkness.  "  Watch- 
man, what  of  the  night?"  The  sun  rises  higher  and  high- 
er :  it  shines  brighter  and  brighter  unto  the  perfect  day  ! 

(3.)  And  what  shall  be  said  of  the  great  propaganda  ? 
Our  own  is  the  Golden  Age  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 
We  are  building  churches,  hospitals,  reformatories,  at 
home ;  and  we  are  stretching  the  cords  of  the  tabernacle 
to  the  remotest  parts  of  the  earth.  The  recent  census  of 
the  United  States  tells  us  that  one-third  of  our  entire 
population  is  in  organic  connection  with  some  religious 
body.  Was  the  like  ever  known  since  the  foundation  of 
the  world  ?  One  in  every  three — men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren— an  avowed  seeker  after  the  true  God  !  Other  na- 
tions are  being  similarly  blessed.  The  gates  of  the  Dark 
Continent  are  being  thrown  open  to  the  light. 

It  was  but  a  hundred  years  ago  that  William  Carey 
sat  in  his  cobbler  shop  in  Northamptonshire,  his  attention 
divided  between  the  lapstone  on  his  knee  and  a  map  of 
the  world  hanging  on  the  wall.  He  said,  "  There  is  gold 
to  be  mined  in  India.  I  will  go  down  after  it  if  you  will 
hold  the  ropes."  He  sailed  for  that  pagan  land  a  hun- 
dred years  ago,  went  down  into  the  mine,  and  souls  have 
been  responding  to  that  deed  of  consecration,  born  out  of 
Carey's  travail,  in  countless  multitudes — gold  minted  in 
the  heavenly  treasury  and  stamped  with  the  image  and 
superscription  of  our  King!  Oh,  friends,  everything  is 
going  right.     The  nations  of  the  earth  are  coming  unto 


14  "THE   MORNING    COMETH. 

our  God.  "  Watchman,  what  of  the  night  ?"  There  is 
no  night !  The  darkness  is  past  and  gone,  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  hath  risen  with  healing  in  his  beams  !  Be 
glad  and  rejoice,  O  people  of  God ;  the  sun  shineth 
brighter  and  brighter  unto  the  perfect  day ! 

It  is  a  joy  to  be  a  watchman  in  these  times.  When  the 
Bastile  fell  there  was  a  controversy  as  to  who  should  have 
the  privilege  of  opening  the  dungeon  doors.  How  much 
more  shall  we  strive  for  the  privilege  of  bearing  the  truth 
and  the  glad  prophecies  of  life  to  those  who  still  are  en- 
veloped in  shadows  !  What  a  joy  to  draw  the  bolts  and 
say  as  to  those  bewildered  souls  of  the  Bastile,  who  for 
years  had  not  heard  a  human  voice  nor  seen  the  shining 
sun,  "  Come  forth  !  The  day  is  bright,  the  air  is  clear,  the 
earth  is  glorified  with  the  beauty  of  the  Lord ;  come  out 
and  rejoice  with  us  !"  Oh,  friends,  let  us  rejoice  together. 
The  sun  shineth  brighter,  brighter,  brighter,  brighter  unto 
the  perfect  day ! 


THE   PILOT   OF   THE   FLEET.  1 5 


THE  PILOT  OF  THE  FLEET.* 


"  Their  line  is  gone  out  through  all  the  earth  and  their  words  to  the 
end  of  the  world." — Psa.  19:4. 

A  polyglot  psalter  in  the  Astor  Library  is  enriched  by  marginal  notes  made 
by  the  Bishop  Justinian  of  Corsica.  Opposite  Psalm  19:4  is  written,  "  Columbus 
boasteth  that  he  is  appointed  to  fulfil  this  prophecy." 

Our  God  is  the  God  of  nations.  The  path  of  history- 
is  lined  on  either  side  with  the  ruins  of  thrones  and  dynas- 
ties. God  reared  them  and  God  overturned  them.  At  a 
time  when  we  are  singing  the  praises  of  Columbus  as  the 
discoverer  of  the  new  world  it  is  wise  to  remind  ourselves 
that  he  was  controlled  by  the  sovereign  God.  He  was 
indeed  entitled  the  Admiral  of  the  Ocean  Seas  ;  but  while 
it  is  important  to  know  the  full  measure  of  his  achieve- 
ment, it  is  far  more  important  to  inquire  who  piloted  his 
fleet. 

In  our  inquiry  as  to  the  special  providences  which  the 
most  casual  observer  must  detect  in  the  romantic  story  of 
the  discovery  of  the  new  world,  the  theme  falls  naturally 
into  a  three-fold  division  :  The  time,  The  man  for  the  time, 
The  man's  Master. 

I.  As  to  the  time.  Is  it  not  a  curious  fact  that  for  so 
many  centuries  a  continent  should  have  been  held  in  re- 
serve ?  It  was  suspected,  dreamed  of,  but  never  known. 
Why?  Was  God  holding  it  for  the  exigencies  of  the 
future,  for  the  enlargement  of  Zion  ?     It  could  not  be  dis- 

*  This  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr.  Burrell  on  the  four-hun- 
dredth anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus. 


l6  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

covered.  The  opening  up  of  that  continent  was  not  to 
occur  until  the  right  moment.  All  things  in  divine  prov- 
idence occur  when  the  hands  of  God's  dial  point  to  the 
fulness  of  the  time. 

This  event  occurred  in  the  morning  twilight  that  fol- 
lowed the  Dark  Ages.  It  was  an  era  of  universal  awa- 
kening. 

(i.)  It  was  marked  by  a  general  revival  of  learning. 
The  best  blood  of  Europe  had  been  vainly  poured  out  in 
the  Crusades.  Vainly  ?  Armies  of  indomitable  men  had 
marked  their  pathways  through  the  deserts  with  bleaching 
bones.  For  what  ?  God  reigns  and  overrules  all  things 
for  ultimate  good.  The  remnant  of  those  devoted  armies 
brought  back  from  the  Orient  some  of  the  learning  of  the 
East.  It  has  been  asserted  by  authority  that  not  one  priest 
in  a  thousand  in  Spain  could  write  a  letter  of  greeting  to 
his  friend.  In  England  things  were  scarcely  better.  The 
Bible  was  a  sealed  book.  A  few  learned  scholars  in  the 
monasteries  sat  poring  over  their  old  parchments  and  illu- 
minating their  breviaries  while  the  people,  rude  and  igno- 
rant, were  starving  for  the  living  bread  under  the  shadow 
of  the  sacred  walls.  But  the  darkness  was  broken  when 
the  Crusades  brought  Arabia  into  contact  with  the 
West. 

One  day  in  1430  Lawrence  Coster,  a  Dutchman  in  the 
sleepy  old  town  of  Haarlem,  went  out  with  his  children 
along  the  towpath  for  a  day  in  the  country,  to  hear  the 
birds  sing  and  breathe  a  little  of  God's  fresh  air.  In  the 
beech  grove  he  paused  and  cut  his  boy's  initials.  And 
there  a  happy  thought  occurred  to  him  :  "  Why  not  carve 
letters  in  wood,  ink  them  over,  and  make  an  impression 
on  paper?"  A  happy  thought!  It  was  a  sun-burst. 
That  was  the  birth  of  the  printing-press.    Books  began  to 


THE   PILOT   OF   THE   FLEET.  1 7 

multiply.  The  Bible  came  into  the  market  for  750  crowns. 
Light  began  to  shine  into  the  hearts  and  consciences  of 
the  people. 

(2.)  This  period  is  also  characterized  as  the  day- 
break of  freedom.  With  the  revival  of  learning  it  was 
inevitable  that  the  individuality  of  man  should  struggle  to 
rise. 

The  Pope's  heel  had  been  upon  the  neck  of  the  king, 
and  the  king's  heel  had  been  upon  the  necks  of  the 
people.  The  Anglo-Saxon  world  had  groaned  under 
despotism. 

On  June  15,  1215,  in  the  meadow  at  Runnymede  the 
great  charter  was  signed.  It  is  commonly  known  as  the 
fundamental  instrument  of  civil  freedom.  As  you  look 
upon  the  old  parchment  now  in  the  British  Museum,  you 
are  struck  with  two  peculiar  facts ;  one  is  that  the  barons 
who  exacted  that  instrument  from  King  John  were,  for  the 
most  part,  unable  to  affix  their  own  signatures ;  they 
could  only  make  the  sign  of  the  cross ;  the  other  is  that 
no  mention  is  made  of  the  people.  Magna  Charta  was  in 
the  interest  of  the  barons.  It  was  a  mighty  stride  towards 
a  glorious  achievement,  but  it  was  only  the  first  step.  As 
yet  there  was  no  thought  of  the  rights  of  man  as  man. 
Two  centuries  went  by  and  the  people  were  still  the  un- 
recognized masses,  their  rights  still  trampled  under  foot, 
but  the  Giant  under  ^tna  was  groaning  and  struggling  to 
uplift  himself.  Men  were  beginning  to  make  their  per- 
sonality felt.  The  people  were  claiming  somewhat  of 
their  own.  The  Anglo-Saxon  world  was  congested  with 
vast  populations  which  were  jostling  each  other  for  elbow 
room  and  clamoring  to  be  free. 

(3.)  This  was  also  the  birth-time  of  the  Reformation. 
There   had  been  a  long  night  of  a  thousand  years.      All 


18  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

sorts  of  vices  hid  behind  the  altar.  There  was  a  famine  of 
the  Word  of  God.  The  Bianchi  wandered  about  with 
great  crucifixes  murmuring  Misericordia !  Flagellants 
went  two  and  two  along  the  thoroughfares  chanting  Mis- 
ereres and  scourging  their  naked  backs.  The  mendicant 
friars  were  in  their  glory.  This  was  the  golden  age  of 
penance,  Peter's  pence,  indulgences.  Heaven  was  opened 
with  a  golden  key.  The  most  scandalous  sins  could  be 
committed  for  a  shilling.  The  world  was  burdened  with 
an  idle,  avaricious,  and  dissolute  priesthood.  This  was 
the  period  of  the  Inquisition,  the  rack,  the  thumb-screw. 
Autos-da-fe  were  kindled  on  all  the  hills.  Men  walked 
to  the  stake  dressed  in  yellow  gowns,  wearing  caps  where- 
on were  painted  black  devils.  Queen  Isabella  was  the 
patroness  of  the  Inquisition.  Torquemada  was  its  high- 
priest  The  ashes  of  Wycliffe  were  thrown  upon  the 
Avon,  the  Avon  bore  them  to  the  Severn,  and  the  Severn 
to  the  sea.  The  Church  was  shrouded  in  darkness.  No- 
where had  there  been  an  open  Bible  or  freedom  to  wor- 
ship God. 

The  time  had  come  for  the  opening  up  of  the  new 
world.  The  continent  which  God  had  been  holding  so 
long  in  reserve  was  now  to  offer  a  shelter  to  his  oppressed 
people.  The  vine  of  Israel  needed  to  be  transplanted. 
The  place  was  prepared  where  it  might  take  deep  root 
and  fill  the  land,  that  the  hills  might  be  covered  with  the 
shadow  of  it.     (Psa.  80  :  8-1 1.) 

In  one  of  the  visions  of  the  Apocalypse  a  woman  is 
seen  clothed  with  the  sun,  and  the  moon  under  her  feet, 
and  upon  her  head  a  crown  of  twelve  stars.  With  her 
child  she  is  pursued  by  a  great  red  dragon.  She  flees 
into  the  wilderness,  "  where  she  hath  a  place  prepared  of 
God."     It  is  a  parable  of  the  Church  of  the  Reformation, 


THE   PILOT   OF   THE   FLEET.  19 

guarding  the  pure  gospel  of  Christ,  pursued  by  the  de- 
mon of  persecution  and  finding  shelter  in  the  new  world. 

"  Westward  the  course  of  empire  takes  its  way. 
The  four  first  acts  already  past, 
A  fifth  shall  close  the  drama  with  the  day ; 
Time's  noblest  offspring  is  her  last." 

II.  The  man  for  the  time.  It  is  proposed  at  this  junc- 
ture to  canonize  Columbus,  and  there  seems  no  good  rea- 
son why  a  Church  that  has  seriously  discussed  the  cano- 
nization of  Queen  Isabella  and  Torquemada,  patroness 
and  bloody  Father  of  the  Inquisition,  should  hestitate  to 
place  Columbus  in  her  calendar  of  saints.  It  is  not  my 
purpose  to  stand  as  Advocatus  Diaboli  to  present  objec- 
tions to  sainthood.  That  were  to  strain  out  a  gnat  and 
swallow  a  camel.  It  would  be  an  easy  matter  to  find  fault 
with  him,  but  at  this  juncture  it  is  far  better  to  dwell  on 
the  brighter  side  of  his  character.  And  there  is  much  to  be 
said  in  praise  of  his  illustrious  name.  He  was  a  man  chosen 
as  an  instrument  in  divine  providence  to  penetrate  the  mists 
that  hid  the  unknown  continent  of  the  Western  sea. 

(1)  I  pay  tribute  to  his  faith.  It  had  been  brought 
to  his  notice  that  an  oar  had  been  picked  up  by  a  sailor 
on  the  waters  near  the  Canaries,  an  oar  marked  with 
strange  hieroglyphics.  It  had  floated  from  the  west. 
There  was,  then,  a  world  out  yonder.  This  was  the  basis 
of  his  creed.  It  was  corroborated  by  Plato's  story  ot 
Atlantis,  and  by  tales  told  by  the  Carthaginians  of  green 
islands  in  the  west.  A  book  called  Imago  Mundi  is 
still  extant,  with  annotations  in  the  margin  made  by  Co- 
lumbus, and  in  which  Roger  Bacon  expressed  the  opinion 
that  it  was  not  far  from  Spain  to  Asia.  Two  bodies  had 
been  seen  out  upon  the  open  sea,  strange-looking  bodies 


20  "  THE   MORNING   COMETH. 

with  bronzed  faces  such  as  were  seen  in  India.  The  man 
put  this  and  that  together  and  said,  Why  may  we  not 
reach  India  by  sailing  into  the  west? 

This  was  his  creed,  "  India  in  the  west."  He  be- 
lieved it.  A  man  with  a  creed  is  always  a  mighty  man. 
According  to  thy  faith  be  it  unto  thee.  They  are  foolish 
folk  who  cry  down  creeds.  Credo  is  a  great  word.  Be- 
lieve something  if  you  would  be  anything.  A  man  in 
the  industrial  world  must  have  his  creed,  his  five  points 
as  true  and  stubborn  as  the  five  points  of  Calvinism,  to 
wit:  honesty,  industry,  self-control,  courage,  and  perse- 
verance. A  man  must  have  his  creed  in  political  life.  He 
must  know  what  he  believes  as  to  tariff,  the  suffrage,  and 
sound  currency.  And  the  line  of  belief  here  marks  the 
difference  between  a  demagogue  and  a  statesman.  A  man 
must  have  his  creed  in  social  life. 

"  Whene'er  you  feel  your  honor  grip, 
Let  that  aye  be  your  border." 

Why  not  also  have  a  creed  in  religion?  Faith  is  the  basis 
of  ethics.  As  a  man  thinketh  in  his  heart  so  is  he.  What 
do  you  hold  as  to  the  great  verities  ?  as  to  God,  redemp- 
tion, immortality,  and  judgment  ?  Tell  me  and  I  will  tell 
you  what  sort  of  a  Christian  you  are.  The  whole  life  of 
Columbus  was  moulded  by  the  revelation  that  came  to 
him  by  that  floating  oar.  "  India  in  the  west."  It  was 
half  right,  half  wrong,  but  he  wholly  believed  it.  "  If 
yonder,"  said  he,  "  is  the  new  world,  I  will  find  it." 

(2)  I  pay  tribute  also  to  his  persistence.  He  went  to 
his  townsmen  of  Genoa  and  told  them  how  he  proposed 
to  find  India  by  sailing  to  the  west.  "  The  man  is  crazy," 
said  they.  He  found  his  way  to  the  Spanish  camp  where 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella  had   marshalled  their  armies  to 


THE   PILOT   OF   THE   FLEET.  21 

drive  out  the  Moors.  Vainly  did  he  push  his  project 
there.  No  time  had  they  nor  treasure  to  expend  upon  an 
empty  dream  like  that.  Years  passed.  Friendless  and 
poverty-stricken,  he  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  Convent 
of  La  Rabida  to  beg  a  crust  and  a  cup  of  water  for  him- 
self and  his  boy.  To  the  Prior  he  imparted  his  project  of 
reaching  India  by  sailing  to  the  west.  Said  Father  Pe- 
rez, "  Possibly  there  may  be  something  in  it."  Ageing 
and  whitening,  he  found  his  way  to  the  Council  of  Sala- 
manca. There  learned  doctors  and  scientists  gathered 
about  him.  Maps  and  charts  were  spread  upon  the  ta- 
ble. "  The  earth  is  round,"  said  he ;  "  why  may  it  not  be 
circumnavigated?"  But  they  answered,  "  If  the  earth  is 
round,  why  do  not  the  waters  fall  from  the  under  side? 
And  if  the  earth  is  round  and  you  reached  the  antipodes, 
would  not  sailing  home  be  like  climbing  a  hill  ?  If  the 
earth  is  round,  what  about  those  Scriptures  which  tell  how 
God  stretched  out  the  heavens  like  a  pavilion  ?"  No,  no, 
the  suggestion  of  heresy  was  here.  The  years  pass  on. 
He  finds  his  way  to  the  Alhambra.  The  Moors  have 
been  driven  out.  He  begs  again  for  royal  patronage,  but 
in  vain.  He  is  riding  away  with  a  sad  heart  when  a  voice 
calls  and  a  hand  beckons.  He  turns  back.  Isabella  has 
changed  her  mind.  "  You  shall  have  your  fleet ;  I  will 
pledge  my  jewels."  His  eighteen  years  of  waiting  are 
over.  How  the  old  man's  heart  must  have  leaped  for 
joy  !     All  things  come  round  to  him  who  will  but  wait. 

What  a  lesson  for  faint  hearts !  Is  there  a  man  here 
who  has  faithfully  pursued  a  project  for  years  and  years  ? 
Cheer  up,  friend ;  all  things  come  round  to  him  who  will 
but  wait.  Are  some  of  you  discouraged  because  of  your 
slow  progress  in  the  Christian  life  ?  Be  of  good  courage. 
Line  upon  line,  precept  upon  precept,  makes  character 


22  "THE    MORNING    COMETH." 

at  last.  One  step  at  a  time,  it  only  our  faces  are  turned 
to  the  heavenly  light,  will  bring  us  at  last  to  heaven's 
gate. 

(3)  I  pay  tribute  also  to  his  courage,  his  indomitable 
courage.  The  eventful  day  has  come.  Three  caravels, 
two  of  them  undecked  amid-ships,  are  swinging  in  the  har- 
bor of  Palos,  mere  cockle-shells,  of  possibly  a  hundred 
tons'  burthen,  worm-eaten,  and  quite  unseaworthy.  And 
they  are  to  sail  out  upon  the  unknown  seas.  The  crew  is 
disorderly.  They  would  not  sail  but  that  they  have  been 
impressed  to  go.  The  canvas  is  set,  the  anchors  are 
raised,  the  Prior  of  La  Rabida  lifts  his  hands  in  blessing. 
"  Sail  forth,  O  little  fleet !  Breathe  upon  the  canvas,  O 
breath  of  Jehovah  !  give  a  favorable  voyage  !" 

Then  fifty-seven  days  of  monotonous  voyaging.  There 
are  calms  and  gales,  alternate  hopes  and  disappointments, 
and  mutterings  among  the  crew.  A  broken  mast  floats 
by,  memorial  of  some  shipwreck,  enough  to  awaken  fears 
of  mutiny.  Here  is  seaweed  floating  on  the  water.  A 
flock  of  paroquets  flies  past.  There  is  land  somewhere. 
One  day  the  cry  is  raised  at  evening,  Land  !  land  !  The 
next  morning  dispels  the  illusion  ;  they  are  still  out  upon 
the  open  sea.  At  the  bow  stands  Columbus  looking  out 
towards  the  west.  Surely  God  has  something  for  a  man 
of  courage  like  this. 

It  was  on  the  twelfth  of  October,  after  the  twilight  had 
gathered,  that,  as  he  stood  gazing  westward,  he  saw  a 
light,  a  flickering  light.  There  are  those  who  say  it  was  a 
torch  carried  by  a  woman  along  the  shore  as  a  signal  for 
her  husband,  returning  after  a  day  upon  the  sea  in  search 
of  food  for  his  little  family.  At  two  o'clock  the  next 
morning  the  gun  was  fired  to  signalize  the  end  of  the 
journey.       At   sunrise  they  make   ready  to  disembark. 


THE   PILOT   OF   THE   FLEET.  23 

Yonder  lies  a  green,  sun-lit  island.  They  land.  Co- 
lumbus kneels  and  takes  possession  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ.  The  land  reserved  for  centuries  is  found  at  last. 
San  Salvador  it  is  christened  under  the  banner  of  the 
Cross.  Land  of  the  Saviour  may  it  ever  be !  The  light, 
the  torch  which  was  carried  along  the  shore  that  night, 
has  grown  brighter  and  brighter  ever  since.  It  is  uplifted 
to-day  in  the  hand  of  Liberty — Liberty  Enlightening  the 
World. 

God  has  a  similar  reward  for  every  courageous  man. 
It  is  the  old  story  of  the  quest  for  the  Golden  Fleece,  the 
search  for  the  Holy  Grail.  It  is  the  story  told  over  and 
over  again  in  every  passing  age  of  the  sailing  forth  in 
discovery  of  truth.  God  has  no  San  Salvador  for  stay-at- 
homes.  He  who  borrows  his  dogmas  from  the  symbols 
of  the  Fathers,  who  is  satisfied  with  what  heredity  and 
environment  have  given  him,  will  never  come  into  posses- 
sion of  truth.  Revelations  are  for  those  who  sail  be- 
tween the  Pillars  of  Hercules.  You  want  to  know  about 
the  great  solemnities  :  sail  out  into  the  west.  There  are 
revelations  of  truth,  priceless  and  incalculable,  in  the  haze 
of  the  western  seas.  But  in  going  out  in  quest  of  truth 
heed  your  Pilot,  pay  deference  to  the  needle  that  points 
to  the  Pole-star,  and  unless  you  would  be  a  wild  rover  of 
the  seas,  be  obedient  to  your  chart,  the  blessed  Bible,  the 
revealed  Word  of  God. 

III.    The  maris  Master.     Who  piloted  the  fleet  ? 

At  this  point  we  note  a  signal  providence.  The  land- 
breezes,  the  floating  seaweed,  and  other  tokens  of  not  far- 
distant  land  had  moved  the  crew  to  earnestly  implore 
their  captain  to  change  his  course;  but  he  persisted.  He 
believed  that  India  lay  to  the  west,  and  westward  he 
sailed  on.     At  length,  however,  a  thorn-bush  floated  by 


24  "THE   MORNING    COMETH. 

with  berries  on.  Its  direction  suggested  that  land  lay  to 
the  southwest,  and  yielding  to  the  persistent  entreaties  of 
his  men,  he  changed  the  course  of  his  fleet  that  way  ;  and 
thereby  he  changed  the  course  of  history.  Had  he  sailed 
to  the  westward  he  would  have  landed  on  the  coast  of 
Florida,  and  the  continent  would  have  fallen  in  the  hands 
of  the  Spaniards.  As  it  was  he  landed  on  San  Salvador. 
Columbus  never  set  foot  upon  the  soil  of  what  is  now  the 
United  States  of  America.  Had  he  taken  possession  of 
the  mainland  in  the  name  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  our 
land  would  have  been  doomed  to  a  Spanish  civilization 
and  all  its  attendant  horrors.  What  those  would  have 
been  may  be  plainly  seen  from  the  condition  of  Spain 
itself,  Mexico,  and  the  South  American  Republics.  It  was 
a  hairbreadth  escape.  Columbus  was  indeed  the  Admi- 
ral of  the  fleet,  but  the  Sovereign  God  was  at  the  helm. 
He  conducted  the  great  navigator  near  enough  to  the  con- 
tinent, but  not  too  near — near  enough  for  the  uses  of  dis- 
covery, but  not  near  enough  for  settlement.  Columbus 
died  in  utter  ignorance  of  the  true  nature  of  his  discovery. 
He  supposed  he  had  found  India,  but  never  knew  how 
strangely  God  had  used  him. 

The  mainland  of  America  lay  practically  unsettled  for 
more  than  one  hundred  years.  In  this  interval  strange 
things  happened.  The  Church  was  rent  asunder.  The 
Unreformed  and  the  Reformed  branches  set  out  upon  di- 
vergent paths.  Luther  nailed  his  ninety-five  theses  to  the 
door  of  the  Castle  Church  and  sent  the  echoes  of  the  Ref- 
ormation reverberating  around  the  world.  Shakespeare 
lived ;  Galileo  lived.  The  great  Armada  was  wrecked. 
The  bells  tolled  out  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew. 
The  Duke  of  Alva  hurled  the  forces  of  the  Inquisition 
vainly  against  the  dykes  of  Holland.     That  was  a  won- 


THE   PILOT   OF   THE   FLEET.  25 

derful  century,  and  all  the  while  God  was  manifestly  pre- 
paring for  the  settlement  of  the  new  world.  It  could  not 
occur  until  he  spoke.  In  vain  did  the  Papal  nations  seek 
to  possess  it.  De  Mont  sailed  up  and  down  the  New 
England  coast,  but  the  savages  kept  him  off.  The  decree 
had  gone  forth  ;  this  was  to  be  a  Protestant  land.  It  was 
to  be  a  shelter  for  the  woman  and  her  child.  The  Red 
Dragon  could  not  possess  it.  At  length  the  time  was 
come — 1620 — Annus  mirabilis  ! 

Then  they  came,  the  sifted  peoples  of  the  old  world, 
the  stuff  that  heroes  are  made  of,  Puritans  from  Old  Eng- 
land who  had  resisted  the  fires  of  Smithfield,  Huguenots 
from  France,  who  had  heard  from  their  fathers  about  St. 
Bartholomew's  Day,  the"  beggars  "  of  Holland,  racked 
with  fierce  struggle  against  tyranny,  the  Covenanters  of  old 
Scotland  from  their  conventicles  among  the  hills.  That 
migration  to  the  new  world  was  the  most  momentous  the 
world  had  known  since  Abraham  departed  out  of  the  land 
of  the  Chaldees  into  a  country  that  he  knew  not  of.  God 
had  fanned  the  threshing-floor  of  all  Europe  to  find  this 
wheat  for  the  planting  of  America.  This  was  the  land 
whereon  the  ultimate  problem  of  civilization  and  ec- 
clesiastical freedom  was  to  be  brought  to  a  glorious  con- 
summation. Men  of  independence,  integrity,  intelligence, 
industry,  courage,  and  broad-mindedness,  men  schooled 
by  flame  and  scourge,  men  who  hated  oppression  and 
believed  in  human  rights,  were  needed  for  it.  Poor,  but 
independent,  not  frilled  and  powdered,  but  armed  might- 
ily with  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  and  with  purpose  of  free- 
dom pulsating  at  the  very  centres  of  their  hearts — these 
were  the  men  whom  God  had  chosen  for  the  settlement 
of  this  land.  For  a  hundred  years  he  had  kept  the 
new  world  waiting  until  they  should  be  ready  to  possess  it. 


26  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

This  delay  meant  everything  for  us.     It  meant, 

(i.)  Freedom.  In  all  probability  there  would  have 
been  no  semblance  of  freedom  had  Columbus  colonized 
the  mainland.  Not  one  of  the  nations  springing  from 
Spanish  conquest  and  fostered  under  the  pretensions  of 
the  Papal  See  has  enjoyed  the  rights  and  privileges  of 
popular  government.  In  the  cabin  of  the  "  Mayflower,"  in 
mid-ocean,  a  constitution  of  the  new  settlement  was  drawn 
up,  its  opening  words — "  In  the  name  of  God,  Amen," 
and  its  closing  words — "  In  the  name  of  God,  Amen." 
That  instrument  was  adopted  and  John  Carver  was 
elected,  by  ballot,  Governor.  This  was  the  formal  birth 
of  the  elective  franchise  as  we  enjoy  it.  Out  of  that  con- 
ference on  the  high  seas  were  born  the  liberty,  equality, 
and  fraternity  of  the  new  world. 

(2.)  It  meant  Intelligence.  To  this,  Catholic  domi- 
nation has  been  invariably  fatal.  If  Rome  could  have  its 
way  at  this  moment,  our  free  school  system  would  be 
blotted  out  of  existence.  It  is  a  notable  fact  that  the  three 
nations  who  effected  the  original  settlement  of  America, 
the  Dutch,  the  Puritans,  and  the  Scotch,  are  the  three 
contestants  for  the  honor  of  originating  our  system  of 
popular  education.  At  the  same  time  its  only  avowed 
and  recognized  enemy  is  the  Romish  Church.  There  is 
no  menace  anywhere  to  this  fundamental  element  of  our 
American  institutions  save  as  we  find  it  among  the  fol- 
lowers of  Leo  XIII.  The  free  school  is  an  Anglo-Saxon 
product,  and  we  firmly  believe  that  God  who  drove  back 
the  Catholic  Spaniards  from  our  shore  will  not  allow  the 
same  pernicious  influence  to  destroy  the  institutions 
planted  here. 

(3.)  It  means,  furthermore,  a  Pure  Gospel.  We  have 
in  America  an  open  Bible  and  a  supreme  Christ.     Colum- 


THE   PILOT   OF   THE   FLEET.  27 

bus  sailed  in  the  "  Santa  Maria  "  and  prefaced  the  report 
of  his  discovery  with  the  words  Jesu  cum  Maria.  But 
the  civilization  of  America  is  like  the  luminous  cloud 
which  gathered  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  of  which 
it  is  written  that  all  human  figures  vanished  ;  "  they  saw 
no  man  save  Jesus  only."  An  open  Bible,  a  preeminent 
Christ,  and  the  right  of  every  man  to  worship  God  accord- 
ing to  the  dictates  of  his  conscience — these  are  the  shib- 
boleths of  our  religious  freedom.  It  has  pleased  God  to 
guard  our  land  from  the  oppression  and  superstition 
which  have  made  Romanism  a  hissing  and  a  byword 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

So  God  piloted  the  fleet.  The  great  discoverer,  with 
all  his  heroic  virtues,  did  not  know  whither  he  went.  "  He 
sailed  for  the  back  door  of  Asia  and  landed  at  the  front 
door  of  America,  and  knew  it  not."  He  never  settled  the 
continent.  Thus  far  and  no  farther,  said  the  Lord.  His 
providence  was  over  all. 

A  great  inheritance  has  been  committed  to  us.  God 
sent  his  people,  in  the  olden  time,  to  a  land  which  was 
set  apart  by  sea  and  desert  and  mountain  from  all  the 
surrounding  world,  and  they  were  recreant  to  their  trust. 
They  disregarded  his  Sabbaths,  they  kindled  fires  to 
alien  gods,  and  their  land  with  all  its  fertile  acres  and  fair 
estates  became  a  dwelling-place  for  the  owl  and  the  bit- 
tern. Oh  let  us  be  true  to  the  obligations  of  our  great 
inheritance !  God  expects  great  things  of  us.  He  hath 
not  dealt  so  with  any  nation.  John  Foster  says,  "  Power 
to  its  last  atom  is  responsibility."  God  has  given  us 
broad  acres  and  inexhaustible  mines  of  treasure.  Power 
means  responsibility.  And  God  has  given  us  civil  and 
ecclesiastical  freedom,  and  with  it  he  has  laid  a  mighty 
burden  of  responsibility  upon  us. 


28  "THE   MORNING   COMETH.' 


THE  SOUL'S  MOORINGS. 


"  And  God,  willing  more  abundantly  to  show  unto  the  heirs  of  prom- 
ise the  immutability  of  his  counsel,  confirmed  it  by  an  oath: 
that  by  two  immutable  things,  in  which  it  was  impossible  for 
God  to  lie,  we  might  have  a  strong  consolation  who  have  fled 
for  refuge  to  lay  hold  upon  the  hope  set  before  us:  which 
hope  we  have  as  an  anchor  of  the  soul,  both  sure  and  stead- 
fast, and  which  entereth  into  that  within  the  veil;  whither  the 
forerunner  is  for  us  entered,  even  Jesus,  made  a  High-Priest 
for  ever  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek."     Heb.  6:17-20. 

The  Hebrew  lad  who  stood  upon  the  piers  of  Tarsus 
and  watched  the  white-winged  ships  sailing-  in  from  the 
Mediterranean — who  saw  from  afar  the  gladness  on  the 
weather-beaten  faces  of  the  crews  as  they  furled  their  can- 
vas and  dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  their  Cilician 
home— who  looked  out  over  the  waters  many  a  time  and 
dreamed  dreams  and  saw  visions  of  storm  and  dismal 
wreck,  men  clinging  to  floating  spars,  white  faces  amid 
the  foam,  mists  hiding  sun  and  heavens  and  shore — 
now  grown  to  manhood  and  familiar  with  cares  and  am- 
bitions and  the  heart-aches  of  an  earnest  life,  calls  back 
his  memories  of  the  sea.  His  soul  is  as  a  ship  far  out 
upon  the  waters,  freighted  with  hopes  and  purposes,  beat- 
en by  storms  and  swayed  by  tides,  yet  kept  securely  in 
the  hollow  of  His  hand  who  rules  tides  and  tempests 
alike,  and  ever  sailing  on  towards  the  harbor  of  that  city 
which  hath  foundations,  whose  founder  and  maker  is 
God. 

Blow,  ye  favoring  gales  !  shine,  thou  benignant  sun ! 


THE   SOUL'S   MOORINGS.  29 

till  we,  like  that  Tarsian  saint,  shall  all  have  reached  our 
haven  of  rest ! 

A  ship  without  an  anchor  is  at  the  mercy  of  the  ele- 
ments. The  chart,  the  rudder,  the  well-filled  sails,  are  suf- 
ficient for  bright  days  and  calm  waters ;  but  when  the 
mists  are  gathered,  the  canvas  whipped  into  shreds  by 
angry  winds,  the  shattered  hulk  tossed  like  a  feather  and 
drifting  helplessly  towards  the  lee  shore  with  its  white 
line  of  angry  breakers — what  now,  Master  of  the  ship  ? 
Let  down  the  anchor  ! 

"  I  see  the  good  ship  riding  all  in  the  perilous  road, 
The  low  reef  roaring  on  her  lee,  the  roll  of  ocean  poured 
From  stem  to  stern,  sea  after  sea ;  the  mainmast  by  the  board, 
The  bulwarks  down,  the  rudder  gone,  the  boats  stove  at  the 

chains ; 
But  courage  still,  brave  mariners,  the  bower  still  remains  !" 

As  the  bower-anchor  is  to  a  ship  so  is  the  hope  of  eternal 
life  in  Jesus  Christ  to  an  earnest  man.  It  maketh  not 
ashamed.  It  never  disappoints.  In  treacherous  calms, 
when  the  tides  of  habit  are  tugging  at  the  soul,  as  well  as 
in  fierce  tempests  of  trial,  it  has  a  sure  and  steadfast  grip 
on  the  power  of  God. 

I.  Observe,  this  hope  enter eth  into  that  within  the  veil. 
The  ark  of  the  covenant  with  the  luminous  cloud,  the 
token  of  God's  visible  presence,  was  behind  the  fine- 
twined  curtain  within  the  Holiest  of  All.  In  like  manner 
there  is  a  veil  dividing  between  the  things  which  lie  with- 
in the  province  of  the  senses  and  the  unseen  things  which 
are  most  real  and  eternal. 

Alas  for  the  agnostic,  the  man  who  believes  only  what 
lies  within  the  reach  of  his  finger-tips,  the  man  to  whom 
the  great  solemnities  are  all  as  empty  dreams !  My  dog 
is  an  agnostic.     Stand  up,  Fido,  and  let  me  reason  with 


30  "THE   MORNING    COMETH."' 

thee  !  Dost  thou  believe  in  God  ?  Dost  thou  believe  in 
life  and  immortality?  His  patient  eyes  are  saying  as 
plainly  as  August  Comte  or  Herbert  Spencer,  "Agnosco,  I 
know  not !  These  things  are  beyond  my  sphere  of  com- 
prehension. Bid  me  gnaw  a  bone  or  chase  a  pheasant. 
The  things  which  are  unseen  are  too  hard  for  me." 

Oh,  blessed  be  God,  we  who  are  made  in  his  likeness 
can  by  faith  apprehend  the  things  which  are  invisible,  the 
sublime  verities  which  fleshly  eyes  cannot  see  and  hands 
cannot  handle,  the  eternal,  substantial  things  which  will 
endure  when  gold  and  laurel  wreaths  and  thrones  and 
monuments  shall  have  vanished  into  nothingness!  The 
sublimities  and  profundities  lie  within  the  veil. 

God  is  there.  Our  hope  takes  hold  of  him.  We  need 
no  argument  as  to  the  existence  of  the  Divine  Being ;  we 
know  it  by  the  tugging  of  the  anchor-chain.  How  lonely 
the  life  of  one  who  holds  no  communion  with  Him !  he 
dwells  alone,  like  a  man  in  a  dungeon.  Oh  to  feel  the 
touch  of  a  living  hand !  The  soul  needs  Him,  and  intui- 
tively reaches  after  Him,  but  the  sure  and  steadfast  hope 
of  the  Christian  lays  hold  upon  Him  as  the  flukes  of  the 
anchor  grip  the  everlasting  rock. 

The  truth  of  i??imortality,  also,  is  within  the  veil.  Na- 
ture yields  no  conclusive  proof  of  it.  If  a  man  die  will  he 
live  again  ?  Ay  !  Else  whence  these  "  precious  hopes, 
these  fond  desires,  these  longings  after  immortality  ?"  But 
better  than  all  intimations  is  this  strong  tugging  at  the 
anchor-chain.  The  heart  feels  it  and  cries,  I  shall  live 
and  not  die  ! 

The  assura?ice  of  infinite  mercy  is  within  the  veil. 
The  senses  cannot  grasp  it.  We  stand  this  side  and 
hear  no  voice  from  beyond.  Love  and  justice  are  ever  at 
strife.     We   lift   the   veil ;    lo !   the   cover  of  the   ark   is 


THE   SOULS   MOORINGS.  3 1 

sprinkled  with  blood !  God  is  love.  The  truth,  Christ 
crucified,  which  to  the  wisdom  of  this  world  is  foolish- 
ness, thus  becomes  to  us  the  very  wisdom  and  power  of 
God. 

II.  Observe,  again,  our  hope  is  sure  and  steadfast,  be- 
ing  confirmed  by  two  immutable  things.  We  want  a  trust- 
worthy hope,  the  interests  involved  are  so  vast  and 
momentous.  The  hope  of  the  hypocrite  shall  perish,  it 
shall  be  cut  off;  his  hope  is  as  a  spider's  web  :  "  He 
shall  lean  upon  it,  but  it  shall  not  stand ;  he  shall  hold  it 
fast,  but  it  shall  not  endure."  The  cunning  architect 
builds  his  beautiful  fabric  in  kings'  houses,  a  masterpiece 
cf  cunning ;  but  in  the  morning  the  housemaid  with  a 
whisk  of  her  broom  sweeps  it  away.  Such  is  the  hope 
based  on  mere  feeling  or  on  empty  ceremony  or  on  a  falla- 
cious view  of  the  divine  goodness  or  on  a  formal  connection 
with  the  church  of  God.  But  the  sure  hope  of  the  be- 
liever is  held  by  a  double  cable,  two  immutable  strands 
of  assurance  twisted  together,  in  both  of  which  it  is  im- 
possible for  God  to  lie. 

(1.)  His  word.  "  He  hath  not  left  us  to  spell  out  our 
privilege."  The  Bible  sparkles  with  promises,  exceeding 
great  and  precious,  as  the  heavens  above  with  stars. 
"  Him  that  cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 
"  Come  now  and  let  us  reason  together,  saith  the  Lord : 
though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as 
snow  ;  though  they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as 
wool."  "  They  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their 
strength  ;  they  shall  mount  up  with  wings  as  eagles ;  they 
shall  run  and  not  be  weary ;  and  they  shall  walk  and  not 
faint." 

(2.)  His  oath.  As  if  his  word  were  not  enough,  he 
confirms  it  with  an  oath  ;  and  because  he  can  swear  by  no 


32       .  "THE    MORNING    COMETH." 

greater,  he  sweareth  b)^  himself:  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  ! 
Now  and  then  men  say  flippantly,  "  Upon  my  life !"  How 
trivial  an  asseveration !  A  man's  life  is  in  his  nostrils. 
And  how  little  a  matter  whether  he  goes  or  stays.  But 
here  is  a  tremendous  oath  :  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord!  In 
this  is  the  assurance  of  our  hope.  He  liveth.  What  if 
an  angel  were  to  appear  in  mid-heaven  announcing  with  a 
trumpet  -  blast,  God  is  dead !  What  obsequies  there 
would  be !  What  sighing  among  the  forests !  What 
groanings  among  the  tossing  seas  !  What  sackcloth  on 
the  heavens !  What  a  panic  in  the  heavenly  host !  How 
the  everlasting  hills  would  go  reeling  and  staggering  back 
to  chaos,  back  to  nothingness  !  Such  a  calamity  however 
is  unthinkable.  God  liveth,  ever  liveth,  from  everlasting 
to  everlasting,  source  and  centre  of  all  natural  and  spirit- 
ual life.  Every  bird  is  singing  it,  every  star  is  telling  it, 
every  brook  is  murmuring  it,  all  nature  is  resonant  with  it. 
I  Am  that  I  Am.  And  because  he  liveth,  we  shall  live 
also.  Thus  doth  God  secure  our  hope  with  a  double 
cable,  and  the  anchor  holds. 

III.  Observe,  furthermore,  "  we  have  a  strong  consola- 
tion  who  have  fled  for  refuge  to  lay  hold  upon  the  hope 
set  before  us."  A  strong  consolation,  a  glorious  impetus, 
an  inspiration.  As  the  mainspring  keeps  the  entire 
mechanism  of  the  chronometer  in  normal  action,  so  does 
the  living  hope  of  the  believer  direct  and  control  his 
entire  life. 

He  that  hath  this  hope  in  Him  purifieth  himself.  A 
hope  is  futile  unless  it  is  vitally  interwoven  with  charac- 
ter. I  ask,  Are  you  saved  ?  You  answer,  I  have  a  hope. 
Thus  too  often  the  hope  is  a  mere  certificate  of  character 
which  may  be  produced  upon  occasion.  You  may  have 
gone  through  a  train  at  midnight  and  have  seen  the  pas- 


THE  soul's  moorings.  33 

sengers  trying,  in  strained  positions,  to  catch  a  little 
slumber  —  here  an  emigrant,  weary  with  long  journey- 
ing, there  a  mother  fallen  asleep  with  a  child  upon  her 
lap.  The  door  opened  and  the  conductor  passed  through 
calling,  "  Tickets,  please!"  They  awoke  and  rubbed  their 
eyes,  produced  their  tickets,  and  settled  back  again  to 
sleep.  The  Lord  deliver  us  from  a  Christian  hope  like 
that!  It  must  be  interwoven  with  our  life.  It  must 
brighten  our  eyes  and  strengthen  our  arms  and  nerve  our 
hearts  for  right  living.  It  must  make  us  kinder  at  home, 
more  honest  in  business,  more  courteous  in  social  life. 
"  The  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,  longsuffering, 
gentleness,  goodness,  faith,  meekness,  temperance :  against 
such  there  is  no  law." 

And  more :  our  hope  must  lead  us  on  to  Christian 
endeavor.  It  must  sing  to  us  like  a  sweet-voiced  sister 
while  we  are  climbing  the  steep  paths.  It  must  urge  us 
on  to  participate  in  the  great  work  of  universal  deliver- 
ance, it  must  save  us  from  spiritual  melancholia. 

"  Your  harps,  ye  trembling  saints, 
Down  from  the  willows  take  ; 
Loud  to  the  praise  of  love  divine 
Bid  every  string  awake." 

Strong  consolation,  exhilarating  courage,  glorious  incen- 
tive, splendid  inspiration — this  must  be  the  outcome  of  a 
genuine  hope  of  eternal  life  in  Christ. 

IV.  Once  more  observe,  the  secret  of  the  efficiency  of 
this  hope  is  i?ifesns  Christ.  "  It  entereth  into  that  within 
the  veil  whither  the  Forerunner  is  for  us  entered,  even 
Jesus  made  a  High-Priest  for  ever."  Of  all  the  living 
verities  which  are  within  the  veil  none  is  comparable  with 
Christ  himself.  He  is  able  to  save  unto  the  uttermost  all 
who  come  unto  him. 


34  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

Here  is  a  reference  to  the  great  Day  of  Atonement 
when  the  High-Priest  passed  within  the  veil,  not  without 
blood,  to  make  expiation  for  the  people's  sin.  It  was  a 
solemn  hour  while  they  waited  without.  On  the  success 
of  his  mediatorial  errand  their  life  depended.  And  when 
at  last — the  blood  sprinkled,  the  prayer  offered,  the  an- 
swer given — he  came  forth  into  the  midst  of  the  camp, 
his  face  illuminated  with  a  smile  of  heavenly  acceptance, 
with  what  joy  did  they  welcome  him  ! 

So  hath  Christ  as  our  forerunner  entered  into  the 
Holiest  of  All  where  he  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession 
for  us.  "  Up  to  the  high  hills  we  look,  whither  he  hath 
gone  and  whence  cometh  our  help."  Our  hope  is  fixed 
upon  him.  It  is  not  our  hope  that  saves,  but  He  him- 
self. Let  not  men  have  confidence  in  the  saving  power 
of  hope ;  as  well  let  them  expect  to  board  the  anchor  in- 
stead of  the  ship  for  a  voyage  to  Liverpool.  It  is  faith 
that  saves,  and  faith  only,  as  the  cable  that  fastens  the  soul 
to  Jesus.  As  one  of  the  fathers  has  said,  "  We  are  saved 
by  our  grip  on  the  blood." 

The  soul  needs  this  sustaining  strength  of  Christian 
hope  not  only  in  stormy  seas  when  the  waves  and  the  bil- 
lows are  passing  over  it,  but  in  the  routine  of  daily  life. 
The  quietness  of  our  still  days  is  all  illusory.  There  is 
nothing  common-place  in  human  experience.  There  are 
no  uneventful  days.  Every  moment  from  sunrise  to  sunset 
has  its  Sibylline  books.  The  most  monotonous  life,  if  we 
could  read  it  aright,  is  a  struggle,  a  romance  concealing 
in  its  even  flow  the  plot  of  an  everlasting  drama.  Never 
does  the  ship  find  better  use  for  its  anchor  than  in  the 
breathless  calm  that  foretokens  the  mighty  wind ;  never 
more  than  when  the  placid  surface  hides  the  treacherous 
tides  which  drag  us  towards  the  hidden  rocks.     More 


THE   SOUL'S   MOORINGS.  35 

souls  are  wrecked  by  the  under-currents  of  habit  than  by 
fierce  Euroclydons  of  trial.  How  easy  to  drift,  to  sweep 
around  the  swirling  circle  of  custom  or  popular  opinion 
to  its  devouring  centre.  "  Be  not  conformed  unto  this 
world."  Let  your  hope  hold  you  to  truth  and  righteous- 
ness like  an  anchor,  sure  and  steadfast.  This  is  the  Chris- 
tian life — to  be  in  the  world  but  not  of  it — sailing  upon  its 
waters  yet  not  circling  upon  its  whirlpools  or  drifting  with 
its  tides. 

But  oh !  when  the  rains  descend  and  the  floods  come 
and  the  winds  blow,  then  the  staunchest  ship  must  have 
an  anchor  if  she  v/ould  go  unshattered  through  the  storm ! 
Trial  is  the  conclusive  test  of  character.  Here  is  a  mer- 
chant who  has  borne  the  reputation  of  an  honest  man  all 
these  years.  Time  has  dealt  kindly  with  him ;  he  has 
gathered  a  competency  and  in  the  race  for  riches  has 
never  brought  reproach  upon  his  name.  He  did  run  well ; 
who  did  hinder  him  ? 

Suddenly  the  trial  comes ;  the  cords  of  financial  strin- 
gency are  tightening  around  him  ;  his  life-long  dreams  of 
prosperity  are  succeeded  by  a  nightmare  of  impending 
ruin.  Now  let  him  look  to  his  integrity.  Will  it  hold 
amid  the  storm  ?  A  nervous  stroke  of  the  pen,  a  false 
entry,  a  forged  signature,  and  the  emergency  is  over. 
But  alas !  the  ship  has  foundered.  The  virtues  of  the 
best  moral  character,  if  its  morality  is  not  upheld  by  the 
firm  supports  of  religion,  are  but  as  ropes  of  sand  when 
the  winds  are  blowing  from  the  north.  We  speak  of  com- 
mon honesty,  common  morality ;  but  what  we  want  is 
uncommon  honesty,  an  heroic  morality,  an  integrity  held 
as  by  a  mighty  anchor-chain  to  the  very  heart  of  God. 

This  is  the  believer's  safety.  He  is  guarded  by  Om- 
nipotence, the  everlasting  arms  are  under  him  ;  the  sure 


36  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

word  of  promise  is  his,  "  I  will  never  leave  thee,  the  river 
shall  not  overflow  thee,  the  flames  shall  not  kindle  against 
thee."  "  He  shall  deliver  thee  in  six  troubles,  yea,  in 
seven  there  shall  no  evil  touch  thee."  Being  in  vital 
union  with  God,  we  are  as  safe  as  God  himself.  "  Fear 
not,"  said  Caesar  to  his  boatman  who  grew  pale  when  the 
little  craft  was  shaken  by  the  billows,  "fear  not;  thou 
canst  not  sink ;  thou  earnest  great  Caesar  and  his  fortunes 
with  thee." 

Oh,  believer,  fear  not;  the  Word  of  the  Lord  hath 
spoken  it,  "I  am  with  thee;  be  not  dismayed.  I  will 
hold  thee,  I  will  strengthen  thee,  yea,  I  will  uphold  thee 
with  the  right  hand  of  my  righteousness."  So  for  all 
the  vicissitudes  of  life  this  hope  is  commended  to  you, 
a  hope  that  will  serve  in  treacherous  calms  as  well  as  in 
the  sudden  storms  of  life,  a  hope  that  will  secure  the  soul 
amid  the  gathering  darkness  of  life's  close  and  in  the  daz- 
zling light  of  judgment.  Remember  the  words  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  how  he  said,  "  Come  unto  me  and  I  will  give 
you  rest " — rest  from  pain,  rest  in  the  ark  when  the  wa- 
ters of  the  great  deep  are  broken  up  and  the  roar  of  the 
surge  is  mingled  with  the  cries  of  the  dying  and  despair- 
ing—a rest  which  this  world  can  neither  give  nor  take 
away — "  rest  eternal,  sacred,  sure." 


THE  CHILDREN   IN   THE   MARKET-PLACE.        37 
THE 

CHILDREN  IN  THE  MARKET-PLACE. 


"But  whereunto  shall  I  liken  this  generation?  It  is  like  unto  chil- 
dren sitting  in  the  markets  and  calling  unto  their  fellows,  and 
saying,  We  have  piped  unto  you  and  ye  have  not  danced;  we 
have  mourned  unto  you  and  ye  have  not  lamented.  For  John 
came  neither  eating  nor  drinking,  and  they  say,  He  hath  a 
devil.  The  Son  of  man  came  eating  and  drinking,  and  they 
say,  Behold  a  man  gluttonous  and  a  w#ine-bibber,  a  friend  of 
publicans  and  sinners.  But  Wisdom  is  justified  of  her  chil- 
dren."    Matt.  11:16-19. 

In  the  problem  of  history  the  one  constant  factor  is 
human  nature.  One  generation  passes  away  and  an- 
other takes  its  place  with  the  regularity  of  ebbing  and 
flowing  tides ;  but  the  calm  current  of  heredity  flows  on 
for  ever.  The  dispositions  of  the  fathers  are  ever  being 
handed  down  to  their  posterity.  You  could  not  under- 
stand why  the  child  recently  born  into  your  family  has 
blue  eyes.  They  could  not  be  traced  to  parents  or  grand- 
parents. You  may  however  remember  among  the  family 
portraits  a  blue-eyed  ancestress  who  lived  far  back  in  co- 
lonial times.  The  family  resemblance  of  the  race  is  pre- 
served in  this  way.  So  when  the  Lord  said,  "  Unto  whom 
shall  I  liken  this  generation?"  he  spoke  with  no  tran- 
sient significance.  The  lesson  of  his  discourse  was  in 
the  nature  of  a  general  truth.  It  was  not  more  for  the 
people  of  that  time  than  for  us. 

The  great  Preacher,  as  was  his  wont,  found  in  one  of 
the  familiar  happenings  of  common  life  an  illustration  of 


38  "  THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

a  great  spiritual  truth.  A  group  of  lads  at  play,  acting 
now  a  mock  marriage  and  again  a  mock  funeral,  complain 
that  certain  of  their  comrades  will  not  participate  in  their 
games :  "  We  have  piped  unto  you  and  ye  have  not 
danced ;  we  have  mourned  unto  you  and  ye  have  not  la- 
mented." So,  says  the  Teacher,  in  our  broader  and  more 
earnest  life  it  is  impossible  to  please  the  whims  and  hu- 
mors of  those  around  us. 

But  "  Wisdom  is  justified  of  her  children."  Thank 
God  for  that !  The  understanding  of  the  wise  is  open  to 
the  truth.  There  are  always  some  who  are  able  to  see  the 
reason  and  Tightness  of  things. 

I.  Let  us  apply  this  principle  to  the  Scriptures. 

The  Bible  is  a  severe  and  heroic  paradox.  It  is  the 
two-fold  expression  of  a  great  religious  system.  To  this 
fact  must  be  attributed  much  of  the  opposition  which  it 
encounters  and  most  of  the  criticisms  which  are  urged 
against  it. 

The  Old  Testament  opens  with  the  story  of  the  Fall 
and  the  awful  penalty  passed  upon  sin  :  "  The  soul  that 
sinneth  it  shall  die."  In  the  midst  of  its  ceremonial  stands 
an  altar  streaming  with  blood,  a  tribute  at  once  to  Re- 
tributive Justice  and  to  Redeeming  Grace,  an  announce- 
ment of  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world, 
a  prophecy  of  Christ  and  him  crucified.  But  through  all 
and  over  all  the  laws  and  appointments  of  the  Old  Econ- 
omy we  detect  the  glow  of  the  flaming  mountain  and  the 
sound  of  the  trumpet  waxing  louder  and  louder,  until  its 
inspired  annals  close  with  the  admonition,  "  Lest  He  come 
and  smite  the  earth  with  a  curse !" 

How  does  all  this  commend  itself  to  the  children  in  the 
market-place  ?  Not  at  all.  It  is  quite  too  sombre.  The 
cry,  "  Repent  ye,"  is  abhorrent  to  them.     To  fall  in  with 


THE   CHILDREN   IN   THE   MARKET-PLACE.         39 

its  requirements  would  be  like  keeping  step  to  the  Dead 
March  in  "Saul."     They  will  have  it  that  "  God  is  Love." 

Well,  then,  how  fares  the  New  Testament  with  them  ? 
Here  is  a  book  whose  every  page  is  sunlit  with  divine 
love,  beautiful  with  the  ineffable  virtues  that  shone  in  the 
face  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  opens  with  the  song,  "  Glory  to 
God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace,  good-will  towards 
men !"  Here  is  the  story  of  the  marvellous  Life ;  here  are 
the  discourses  of  One  who  spake  as  never  man  spake  ; 
here  is  the  record  of  his  merciful  wonder-working.  In  the 
midst  of  this  economy  stands  the  Cross,  the  token  of  the 
divine  overtures  of  mercy  to  guilty  men.  A  voice  cries, 
"  Look  unto  me  and  be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  the 
earth  1"  And  this  book  of  the  heavenly  grace,  its  first 
page  vocal  with  the  carol  of  angels,  has  its  last  illuminated 
with  a  benediction,  "  The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
be  with  you  all !" 

And  how  does  this  please  the  children  of  the  market- 
place ?  Not  in  the  least.  The  anthem  of  Free  Grace  is 
quite  too  cheerful  for  them.  Karma  is  now  their  creed, 
the  Law  of  Consequences :  "  Whatsoever  a  man  soweth, 
that  shall  he  also  reap."  What  virtue  can  there  be,  they 
inquire,  in  the  shedding  of  innocent  blood  ?  Or  what 
value  in  faith?  The  harps  and  timbrels  of  salvation  are 
quite  out  of  tune  with  their  serious  mood.  They  hold 
themselves  peevishly  aloof  and  will  not  dance. 

Now  blend  these  books  of  the  two  economies  together 
into  one  Bible.  How  splendidly  they  blend !  Mercy  and 
Truth  are  here  met  together;  Righteousness  and  Peace 
have  kissed  each  other  !  Out  of  this  paradox  of  fire  and 
blood  comes  the  wondrous  harmony  of  spiritual  life.  The 
children  of  the  market-place  must  not,  however,  be  ex- 
pected to  assent  to  this.     The  paradox  is  to  them  an  irre- 


40  "THE    MORNING   COMETH." 

concilable  antagonism.  The  book  is  not  a  mosaic,  but  a 
conglomerate.  Whether  it  offer  a  funeral  dirge  or  an 
epithalamium,  they  decline  in  any  case  to  respond  to  it. 

But  Wisdom  is  justified  of  her  children.  They  mark 
how  the  old  economy  develops  into  the  new  as  bud  into 
blossom,  as  chrysalis  into  butterfly,  as  twilight  into  the  gray 
of  morning  and  then  into  the  full  splendor  of  day.  The  Old 
Dispensation  and  the  New  are  the  two  halves  of  a  pome- 
granate from  the  King's  orchard ;  they  are  the  warp  and 
woof  of  one  heavenly  fabric.  Justice  and  Grace  are  God's 
two  eyes  with  which  he  looks  towards  the  focus  of  salva- 
tion, are  God's  two  hands  with  which  he  lifts  the  world 
into  the  glory  of  an  endless  life.  Law  and  Gospel  are  the 
two  hinges  on  which  rolls  back  the  opening  door  into 
the  Father's  house. 

A  rose-tree  planted  in  Eden  was  nourished  by  Prov- 
idence, cared  for  by  angels,  and  watered  by  the  tears  of 
penitents,  until — putting  forth  the  verdure  of  hope  through 
all  the  centuries — it  blossomed  at  last  on  Calvary  into  a 
red,  red  rose. 

II.  Let  us  make  a  further  application  of  this  thought 
to  the  Church.  Here  is  a  body  made  up  of  all  sorts  ol 
people  having  the  common  infirmities  of  the  race.  Not 
one  among  them  is  perfect.  Every  one  of  them  must 
needs  say,  "  I  am  not  what  I  ought  to  be,  I  am  not  what 
I  would  like  to  be,  nor  yet  what  I  hope  to  be,  but  by  the 
grace  of  God  I  am  what  I  am." 

Here  are  many  serious  folk.  The  awfulness  of  sin 
has  made  a  profound  impression  upon  them.  They  have 
heard,  ringing  loud  and  clear  from  the  mountain  of  the 
Law,  the  voice  of  Retributive  Justice.  They  realize  that 
the  world  is  full  of  pain  and  remorse  and  shame,  and  that 
it  will  presently  be  set  on  fire.     The  Judgment,  "  that  day 


THE   CHILDREN    IN   THE   MARKET-PLACE.        41 

of  wrath,  that  awful  day,"  is  ever  before  them.  Life  is  a 
serious  matter  to  such  people  and  eternity  is  very  nigh  to 
them. 

How  do  these  commend  themselves  to  the  children  of 
the  market-place  ?  Do  their  critics  fall  in  with  the  slow 
measures  of  the  miserere  f  Not  they.  Observe  how 
their  comments  are  interlarded  with  references  to  Chad- 
band  and  Pecksniff  and  Praise-God  Barebones. 

But  here  are  merry-hearted  people,  too.  Once  they 
sat  by  the  highway-side,  blind  and  friendless,  and  the 
Lord  came  that  way  saying,  "  Receive  your  sight !"  And 
ever  since  they  have  been  glorifying  God.  Why  should 
they  not  ?  They  live  in  a  pleasant  world ;  the  skies  are 
bright,  the  birds  are  singing,  and  heaven's  blessing  is  over 
all.  They  have  a  good  conscience  too ;  for  they  have 
done  what  they  believed  to  be  right  in  their  relations  with 
God.  The  misspent  past  has  been  blotted  out  and 
heaven's  gates  are  opened  wide  before  them.  So  they  go 
singing  all  the  day. 

And  does  this  please  the  fault-finders?  Not  for  a  mo- 
ment. They  say,  "  If  these  people  believed  in  the  tre- 
mendous truths  of  their  religion  they  could  not  be  so 
merry."  So  whether  we  are  lachrymose  or  cheerful,  it  is 
all  one.  We  cannot  please  the  children  in  the  market- 
place. Now  they  cry  "  Aha  !"  and  now  "  Oho  !"  They 
will  neither  lament  nor  dance  to  any  music  which  we  fur- 
nish for  them. 

What  is  the  moral?  Let  us  give  little  heed  to  the 
voice  of  the  fault-finder,  but  endeavor  with  all  our  might 
to  please  God ;  "  not  with  eye-service,  as  men-pleasers, 
but  as  the  servants  of  Christ,  doing  the  will  of  God  from 
the  heart."  He  is  our  Lord.  To  him  alone  we  stand  or 
fall.      The  sum  total  of  our  duty,  therefore,  is  to  strive  for 


42  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

his  approval,  walking  ever  as  under  the  great  Taskmas- 
ter's eye. 

There  are  some  things  which  are  pretty  well  estab- 
lished :  (i.)  The  church,  made  up  so  heterogeneously  of 
serious  and  gladsome  people,  is  not  perfect.  To  expect 
perfection  in  that  quarter  would  betray  a  misapprehension 
as  to  the  definition  of  the  church.  It  is  not  a  company  of 
saints  perfected,  but  of  sinners  saved  by  grace.  It  consists 
not  of  good  people,  but  of  people  who  desire  to  be  good. 
The  very  reason  of  their  banding  themselves  together  is 
because  they  are  sensible  of  weakness.  They  feel  their 
need  of  mutual  prayer  and  sympathy.  They  purpose  to 
stand  by  one  another  and  help  one  another  in  the  spirit- 
ual life.  It  ought  to  be  expected  that  their  captious  crit- 
ics, professing  self-dependence,  should  be  more  present- 
able outwardly  than  these.  For  they  have  strength 
enough  of  themselves  to  get  along  without  this  united 
prayer,  this  fellowship  of  kindred  minds.  (2.)  Nothing 
better  than  the  church  has  been  developed  thus  far.  This 
is  evidenced  by  the  involuntary  tributes  which  are  paid  by 
outsiders  to  the  life  and  character  of  church  people.  Not 
long  ago  a  flaming  headline  appeared  in  one  of  our  daily 
newspapers,  "Another  Deacon  Gone  Wrong."  It 
was  a  case  of  embezzlement.  Such  cases  are,  alas,  too 
common.  But  the  fact  that  such  headlines  are  ever  seen 
is  demonstration  of  the  general  opinion  as  to  Christian 
life  and  character.  Why  do  newspapers  never  fling  out 
the  headline  "  Another  Infidel  Gone  Wrong  "  ?  Be- 
cause in  such  case  it  is  the  expected  that  happens.  There 
is  nothing  odd  in  the  fact  of  an  infidel  going  wrong, 
nothing  sensational  in  that.  The  reporter  does  not  care 
for  it.  The  reason  why  the  world  cries  out  against  an 
inconsistent  church  member  is  because  it  expects  some- 


THE   CHILDREN   IN   THE   MARKET-PLACE.         43 

tiling  better  of  him.  The  church  contains  the  best  peo- 
ple. No  other  organization  since  the  foundation  of  the 
world  has  ever  marshalled  so  glorious  a  company  of  up- 
right men  and  women,  living  for  the  public  weal  and  for 
the  glory  of  God.  (3.)  The  church  answers  its  pur- 
pose. The  children  of  Wisdom  are  agreed  upon  that. 
It  helps  men  to  escape  from  passions  and  evil  habits.  It 
helps  men  to  build  up  character.  It  gives  them  noble 
employment  in  behalf  of  others.  It  encourages  them  to 
hope  for  brighter  things  as  the  days  pass  on. 

The  church  is  like  the  Spartan  phalanx  in  which  com- 
rades were  banded  together  by  an  oath  of  mutual  devo- 
tion. They  marched  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  shields 
overlapped.  They  resolutely  pushed  their  way  to  vic- 
tory, bearing  the  wounded  aloft  upon  their  shields,  until 
all  found  refuge  in  the  citadel  together.  So  are  we  pre- 
sumed to  stand  by  one  another  in  this  blessed  fellowship 
of  the  church.  The  joints  of  our  harness  are  pierced  by 
many  an  arrow,  but  we  push  on,  strengthened  by  our 
comradeship  and  confidently  hoping  to  stand  some  bright 
day  together  in  the  great  city  of  God. 

III.  The  same  thought  has  pertinence  with  respect  to 
Christ  himself.  Why  do  the  children  in  the  market- 
place so  persistently  find  fault  with  him  ? 

In  the  olden  time  a  burgher,  who  was  about  to  cast 
his  ballot  against  Aristides  the  Just,  was  reasoned  with 
by  one  who  said,  "What  has  Aristides  done?  Is  he  not 
a  wise  and  patriotic  citizen  ?  Has  he  not  devoted  him- 
self to  the  welfare  of  the  State  ?  Is  he  not  the  Just  ?" 
"  Ay,"  said  the  burgher,  as  he  dropped  the  black  ballot 
into  the  urn,  "  ay,  I  hate  him  because  he  is  the  Just." 

It  is  not  difficult  to  see  why  men,  from  the  standpoint 
of  pure  reason,  should  take  exception  to  the  Holy  Scrip- 


44  "  THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

tures.  It  is  easy  to  see  how  any  who  are  so  disposed 
may  find  fault  with  church  members,  imperfect  as  they 
are.  But  who  shall  lay  anything  to  the  charge  of  Jesus  ? 
The  sublimest  truths  of  our  religion  are  but  slightly  ap- 
prehended and  its  precepts  inadequately  fulfilled  in  the 
best  Christian  life.  But  back  of  all  our  faults  and  above 
the  company  of  his  fallible  disciples  stands  the  Perfect  One. 
There  is  no  guile  in  his  heart,  no  guile  upon  his  lips. 

In  the  life  of  the  Saviour  there  are  three  episodes 
which  have  been  the  offence  of  the  ages.  His  Birth  con- 
tains the  great  mystery  of  the  Incarnation.  It  was  the 
most  delightful  thing  that  ever  happened  in  human  his- 
tory. Not  since  the  original  creation  had  the  sons  of  God 
so  shouted  for  joy.  But  those  who  are  disposed  to  find 
fault  can  find  nothing  in  this  glorious  event  to  move  them 
to  participate  in  the  merry-making  of  the  children  of  God. 
His  Cross  is  the  symbol  of  the  Atonement.  It  is  a  stum- 
bling-block to  the  Jews  and  foolishness  to  the  Greeks,  but 
to  them  who  are  saved  the  very  wisdom  and  power  of 
God.  The  death  on  Calvary  was  the  very  saddest  thing 
that  ever  happened,  and  yet  it  opened  the  gateway  into 
the  world  of  eternal  bliss.  But  whether  the  music  of  the 
gospel  be  a  dirge  or  a  wedding  march,  the  children  of 
the  market-place  decline  to  keep  step  with  it.  The  Open 
Sepulchre  tells  of  life  and  immortality.  The  earth  was 
shrouded  in  gloom,  but  all  heaven  rejoiced  when  our 
Lord  took  captivity  captive  and  ascended  up  on  high. 
He  hath  for  evermore  at  his  girdle  the  keys  of  Death  and 
of  Hell. 

In  these  incidents  of  the  wonderful  Life  we  note  at 
once  the  strength  and  the  weakness  of  the  glorious  gospel 
of  the  blessed  God.  Its  weakness  is  due  to  the  perverse- 
ness   of  the   human   heart.     But   the   children   of   Wis- 


THE   CHILDREN   IN   THE   MARKET-PLACE.        45 

dom  are  strengthened  by  it  with  all  might  in  the  inner 
man. 

There  is  an  ever  increasing  multitude  of  such  as  see  in 
Christ  Jesus  the  chiefest  among  ten  thousand,  the  One 
altogether  lovely.  To  them  He  is  the  very  unveiling  of 
the  person  of  God.  We  cannot  know  God  except  as  we 
make  his  acquaintance  in  Jesus  Christ.  In  him  the  bright- 
ness of  the  noonday  sun  is  adjusted  to  the  sensitiveness 
of  human  eyes.  He  is  also  the  ideal  man,  the  only  one 
who  ever  lived  a  perfect  life.  He  is  for  all  ages  and  gen- 
erations the  exemplar  of  character,  without  spot  or  blem- 
ish or  any  such  thing,  and  worthy  therefore  to  be  called 
par  excellence  the  Son  of  man.  He  is,  moreover,  a  Sa- 
viour. No  other  has  ever  proposed  to  rescue  a  sin- 
stricken  world  from  the  bondage  of  sin ;  no  other  has 
ever  claimed  to  avert  the  lifted  sword  of  the  broken 
Law. 

While  John  Huss  was  in  prison  awaiting  his  execution 
he  covered  the  walls  of  his  cell  with  the  name  of  Jesus. 
One  night  he  dreamed  that  black  devils  obliterated  it 
and  went  their  way.  But  again  a  company  of  angels 
came  and  wrote  the  Name  and  its  praises  in  letters  of 
blood  and  colors  of  fire  and  said  as  they  vanished, 
"  Now  let  them  efface  it !"  All  along  history  the  good 
Lord  has  been  writing  his  wonderful  gospel  in  ever 
deeper  and  more  enduring  characters.  An  innumerable 
company  have  risen  up  to  call  him  blessed.  His  glory 
brightens  with  every  rising  sun.  As  Renan  said,  "All 
ages  will  proclaim  that  none  has  been  born  greater  than 
Jesus  among  the  children  of  men." 

The  reason  why  our  Lord  and  Saviour  is  rejected  is 
because  men  do  not  look  him  frankly  in  the  face.  Two 
travellers  sat  in  a  railway  car  discussing  the  character  of 


46  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

Christ.  One  said,  "  I  think  an  interesting  romance  could 
be  written  about  him."  The  other  replied,  "  And  you 
are  just  the  man  to  write  it.  Set  forth  the  correct 
view  of  Jesus.  Tear  down  the  prevailing-  sentiments  as 
to  his  divineness.  Paint  him  as  he  was,  a  glorious  man." 
The  suggestion  was  acted  upon;  the  book  was  written. 
The  man  who  made  the  suggestion  was  Robert  G.  In- 
gersoll ;  the  book  is  Ben-Hur ;  the  writer  was  Gen.  Lew. 
Wallace.  In  the  process  of  constructing  the  book  he 
was  required  to  study  the  life  and  character  of  Jesus  and, 
as  he  studied,  he  was  convinced  of  his  divine  personality. 
So  must  any  man  who  will  frankly  look  upon  the  face  of 
the  Nazarene  be  at  last  humbled  before  him,  and  forced 
to  cry,  "  My  Lord  and  my  God !" 


LET   US   GO   ON.  47 


LET  US  GO  ON. 


"  Therefore,  leaving  the  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  let  us 
go  on  unto  perfection."     Heb.  6:1. 

We  are  fond  of  saying  in  these  times  that  Christianity- 
is  a  life.  If  by  this  we  mean  that  Christianity  is  adverse 
or  superior  to  dogma,  the  aphorism  is  perniciously  false. 
But  there  is  a  definite  sense  in  which  it  is  true.  Christian- 
ity is  a  doctrinal  and  ethical  system  abiding  in  the  soul 
and  expressing  itself  in  walk  and  conversation.  It  is 
preeminently  a  living  thing.  It  is  a  creed  going  about 
doing  good. 

The  evidence  of  the  life  of  Christianity  isjn  its  neces- 
sity of  growth.  All  organic  things  are  under  the  same 
law.  A  stone  differs  from  a  plant.  The  stone  receives 
accretions  from  without ;  the  plant  is  wrought  upon  and 
developed  by  an  internal  principle.  Thus  a  man  differs 
from  a  mummy.  One  wails  in  a  mother's  arms  for  a  time, 
creeps,  toddles,  walks  upon  his  feet,  breaks  from  his  lead- 
ing-strings, and  hurries  over  the  threshold  into  youth, 
and  from  youth  to  vigorous  manhood.  But  the  mummy 
of  old  Rameses  looks  at  you  through  the  glass  doors  of 
the  Boolak  Museum  just  as  it  looked  at  the  wailing 
mourners  who  carried  it  past  the  Pyramids  to  its  burial 
four  thousand  years  ago. 

The  man  whose  spiritual  nature  has  come  into  contact 
with  the  supernatural  Source  and  Centre  of  life  is  thrilled 
with  a  vital  principle  as  really  as  if  God  had  touched  him 
with  an  electric  spark.     And  thenceforth,  by  virtue  of  the 


48  "  THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

communication  of  that  spiritual  life,  the  necessity  of  un- 
ceasing- growth  is  upon  him. 

This  thought  pervades  the  Scriptures.  The  Old  Testa-, 
ment  is  full  of  it.  Life  is  structural.  The  chiefest  thing- 
is  edification — temple-building — the  soul  rising  into  a  glo- 
rious fabric  fit  for  the  indwelling  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 
The  teachings  of  Christ  are  pervaded  by  it.  The  king- 
dom of  heaven,  that  is,  righteousness  in  the  soul,  is  like 
the  leaven  which  a  woman  put  in  three  measures  of  meal, 
and  behold  the  whole  lump  was  leavened.  And  again, 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  to  a  grain  of  mustard- 
seed  which  a  man  took  and  sowed  in  his  field ;  which  in- 
deed is  the  least  of  all  seeds,  but  when  it  is  grown  it  is 
the  greatest  among  herbs,  and  becometh  a  tree,  so  that  the 
birds  of  the  air  come  and  lodge  in  the  branches  thereof. 
The  philosophy  of  St.  Paul  would  be  as  dry  as  a  summer 
heath  without  this  thought,  "  We  are  bound  to  thank  God 
always  for  you,  brethren,  as  it  is  meet,  because  that  your 
faith  groweth  exceedingly." 

So  here.  Paul  is  writing  to  the  Diaspora,  the  Jews 
scattered  abroad.  They  had  been  bound  in  the  fetters  of 
the  ceremonial  law  and  blinded  by  prejudice  against  the 
spiritual  worship  of  the  true  God.  Christ  came  with  his 
wonder-working  power  and  they  arose  in  newness  of  life. 
Their  chains  were  broken,  their  eyes  were  opened,  the 
song  of  salvation  thrilled  on  their  lips.  Just  then  came 
the  great  danger,  the  danger  of  standing  still.  The  word 
of  the  apostle  is  like  a  trumpet-call :  Let  us  go  on. 
Leaving  the  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  let  us  go 
on  unto  perfection !" 

By  leaving  the  principles  or  principia  he  did  not  mean 
that  they  were  to  forsake,  renounce,  or  forget  them. 
Principles  are  never  to  be  renounced.    They  were  to  leave 


LET   US   GO    ON. 


49 


them  as  the  plant  leaves  its  root,  piercing  the  crust  of 
earth,  seeking  the  sun's  warmth,  putting  forth  verdure, 
and  blooming  in  beauty.  They  were  to  leave  the  princi- 
ples of  the  gospel  as  the  brook  leaves  the  mountain  spring, 
leaping  from  shelf  to  shelf,  winding  in  and  out  to  irrigate 
the  growing  fields,  increasing  in  volume  as  it  murmurs  on, 
turning  the  wheels  of  industry,  and  bearing  at  length  upon 
the  majestic  bosom  of  the  river  the  commerce  of  die  world. 

What  are  these  principles  ? 

I. _Salvatio?i.  The  apostle  entreats  these  people  not 
to  lay  again  the  foundation  of  repentance  from  dead  works 
and  faith  towards  God.  Repentance  and  faith  are  the 
negative  and  the  positive  side  of  salvation  or  deliverance 
from  sin.  With  these  begins  the  Christian  life.  But  how 
many  there  are  who  linger  here,  spending  weary  hours  in 
self-examination,  doubting  as  to  the  validity  of  their  hope, 
sadly  questioning, 

"  Oft  it  causes  anxious  thought, 
Am  I  His  or  am  I  not?" 

What  fretting  and  worrying  about  "  assurance  "  !  I  know 
of  no  assurance  except  the  assurance  of  faith,  and  "  faith  is 
the  evidence  of  things  not  seen."  Our  hope  of  salvation 
rests  upon  an  absolute  trust  in  God.  He  hath  said,  "  He 
that  liveth  and  believeth  in  me  shall  never  die."  The  secret 
of  assurance  is  in  taking  him  at  his  word.  A  sure  cure 
for  doubt  and  despondency  is  to  get  down  upon  one's 
knees  and  do  there  again  the  first  works,  surrendering  in- 
stantly to  Christ,  instantly  and  unconditionally.  Then  arise 
and  trust  him.  Do  not  keep  pumping  out  the  hold  for 
ever.     Stop  the  leak  and  sail  on. 

Salvation  is  more  than  mere  deliverance  from  death. 
It  is  a  great  word  and  means,  in  its  fulness,  an  entire  con- 

4 


50  "THE   MORNING    COMETH. 

fortuity  to  God.  Salvation  means  not  repentance  and 
faith  only,  but  all  the  graces  of  character.  Salvation 
means  perfection.  Wherefore  the  apostle  says,  "  Work 
out  your  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling."  Work 
it  out,  out  to  its  uttermost  results,  out  to  its  splendid  ful- 
filment, out  to  its  glorious  consummation. 

The  old  fathers  of  art,  with  scarcely  an  exception,  did 
their  best  when  working  on  the  statues  of  their  gods. 
One  might  carve  a  laughing  child  or  a  sporting  satyr, 
but  when  he  wrought  his  masterpiece  he  must  needs  get 
his  model  and  his  inspiration  from  the  Olympiad — a  Jupi- 
ter Tonans  or  a  Venus  rising  from  the  sea.  We  also  do 
our  very  best  when  copying,  not  human  models,  but  the 
glorious  Son  of  God.  He  is  our  Exemplar,  and  to  imi- 
tate him  is  to  be  ever  growing  towards  the  full  stature  of 
a  man.  We  soar  highest  when  working  out  to  its  perfec- 
tion the  godlikeness  which  is  implanted  in  us. 

II.  Belief.  Our  creed  is  one  of  those  principia  which 
we  are  to~Teave  in  going  on  unto  perfection.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Christian  life  we  receive  certain  fundamen- 
tals as  true.  They  form  the  very  basis  of  our  profession  : 
"  I  believe  in  God,  the  Father  Almighty ;  I  believe  in 
Jesus  Christ,  who  was  born  of  a  woman,  crucified  for  me, 
and  in  his  resurrection  brought  life  and  immortality  to 
light ;  I  believe  in  the  Scriptures  as  the  only  infallible  rule 
of  faith  and  practice."  In  war  times  if  a  man  breathed  a 
word  against  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  it  was 
proof  positive  of  disloyalty.  He  was  in  danger  of  Fort 
Lafayette.  He  was  pointed  at  as  he  walked  along  the  street. 
The  man  who  questions  the  authority  of  the  Scriptures, 
which  are  the  constitution  of  the  Christian  life,  has  reason 
to  investigate  his  loyalty.  For  in  entering  upon  his 
Christian  confession    he   professed    to    believe   that    the 


LET   US   GO   ON.  5 1 

court  of  last  appeal  in  matters  of  faith  and  conduct  is 
the  Word  of  God. 

These  things  are  received  as  postulates ;  if  they  are 
not  so  received  we  have  not  really  entered  upon  the 
Christian  life  at  all.  In  fact,  however,  a  multitude  of  us 
are  all  the  while  questioning  as  to  the  existence  of  God 
and  the  divine  work  of  Jesus  and  the  trustworthiness  of 
the  Scriptures,  and  so  are  "  ever  learning  and  never  able 
to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth." 

O  men  and  women,  let  us  leave  the  rudiments  and  go 
on  unto  perfection  !  There  are  vast  realms  of  truth  before 
us,  but  we  shall  never  explore  them  so  long  as  we  insist 
upon  going  around  and  around  the  old  doctrines  which 
in  all  good  reason  should  have  been  settled  at  the  outset. 
Multitudes  of  Christians  are  threshing  old  straw  while  the 
yellow  sheaves  of  truth  lie  all  about  them  untouched. 

The  troubles  in  the  church  as  well  as  in  the  individual 
Christian  life  are  largely  due  to  this  tedious  discussion  of 
long-settled  truths.  At  this  moment  there  is  scarcely  a 
denomination  which  is  not  fretted  by  logomachies  as  to 
baptism  or  the  laying  on  of  hands,  or  as  to  problems  of 
eschatology  or  the  inspiration  of  the  Word.  If  young 
people  were  to  pursue  their  education  along  such  lines 
they  would  never  get  beyond  b-a  ba  k-e-r  ker,  baker. 

There  was  a  time  when  Alfred  Tennyson  was  a  lad  in 
bib  and  tucker  and  played  with  alphabet-blocks  as  other 
lads  do,  building  bridges  and  forts  and  cathedrals ;  but  as 
time  passed  the  larger  tasks  of  life  summoned  him.  He 
left  his  alphabet,  not  renouncing  it,  but  passing  on  to  the 
practical  uses  and  applications  of  it.  His  A,  B,  C  grew 
into  the  "Idylls  of  the  King"  and  "In  Memoriam.,, 
When  the  supreme  moment  came  it  would  have  been  a 
strange  thing  if  the  Laureate,  dying  there  in  the  moonlight, 


52  "THE   MORNING    COMETH. 

had  still  been  fumbling  his  building-blocks.  But  no,  he 
died  with  great  thoughts  in  his  brain  and  the  open  page 
of  "Cymbeline"  before  him.  "When  I  was  a  child  I 
spake  as  a  child,  I  understood  as  a  child,  I  thought  as  a 
child;  but  uhen  I  became  a  man  I  put  away  childish 
things." 

The  time  for  us  to  determine  upon  the  fundamen- 
tals is  when  we  stand  upon  the  threshold.  That  crossed, 
we  pass  on  to  ulterior  conquests  in  the  realm  of  spiritual 
and  eternal  truth.  Ne  Plus  Ultra  was  the  legend  on 
the  Pillars  of  Hercules.  Ne  plus  ultra  ?  Nay,  rather — 
Plus  Ultra  for  ever  and  ever.  There  is  always  more 
beyond.  The  beyond  is  the  illimitable.  Let  us  not  go 
cruising  around  the  fringes  of  the  Mediterranean,  but 
turn  our  prows  towards  the  Pillars  of  Hercules  and  sail 
out  towards  the  west. 

\l\.  JDutXi—  The  rudimental  questions  of  ethics  are 
among  these  principles  which  we  are  to  leave  in  order 
that  we  may  go  on  unto  perfection.  There  are  three  rules 
of  conduct  which  are  settled  at  the  beginning  of  the  Chris- 
tian life.     These  are : 

(i.)  I  must  do  nothing  knowingly  to  offend  God. 

(2.)  I  must  do  nothing  to  wrong  myself. 

(3.)  I  must  do  nothing  that  will  be  an  occasion  of 
stumbling  for  my  fellow-men. 

These  are  the  touchstones  by  which  we  determine  most 
of  the  questions  that  arise  in  common  life.  How  much  of 
our  time  and  energy  are  spent  in  simple  questions  of  cas- 
uistry which  these  rules  should  determine  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye — questions  as  to  certain  darling  sins,  old  habits, 
eating  and  drinking,  and  as  to  the  rhythmical  movements 
of  our  nether  limbs.  A  jeweller's  clerk  who  has  served  his 
apprenticeship  long  enough  to  tell  gold  from  pinchbeck  at 


LET   US  GO   ON.  53 

a  glance  needs  not  get  down  his  acid-bottle  every  time  a 
customer  brings  in  a  brooch  or  earring.  The  question 
settles  itself  in  an  instant  when  he  sees  it.  So  should  our 
common  questions  of  conscience,  and  so  would  they  if  we 
had  not  fallen  into  the  habit  of  trifling  with  them. 

Oh  let  us  go  on  !  let  us  leave  the  principles  and  go 
on  unto  perfection.  Life  is  too  large  and  momentous  to 
be  spent  in  such  small  questionings.  The  growing  boy 
outgrows  his  clothes.  The  best  proof  that  a  man  is  advan- 
cing in  the  spiritual  life  is  that  he  has  gotten  beyond  the 
routine  of  small  scruples  and  has  entered  upon  the  more 
earnest  responsibilities  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

Duty  is  the  great  matter.  Duty  is  the  sum  total 
of  Christian  service.  Duty  is  ethical  purpose  in  perfec- 
tion. Let  us  go  on  unto  it.  When  Saul  of  Tarsus  asked 
of  the  Lord,  "What  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?"  he  did 
not  mean,  "  May  I  visit  the  stadium  exhibitions  as  I  have 
been  accustomed  to  do  ?  May  I  mingle  in  the  Isthmian 
games  ?  May  I  continue  to  be  a  Jewish  zealot  haling 
Christians  to  judgment  and  death  ?"  These  things  had 
all  been  instantly  disposed  of.  What  he  meant  was, 
"  In  the  new  world  of  usefulness,  which  this  sun-burst  of 
heaven  has  opened  before  me,  where  wilt  thou  have  me 
to  go,  Lord,  and  what  shall  I  do  ?" 

To  be  for  ever  engaged  in  the  round  of  ethical  ques- 
tionings as  to  the  right  and  the  wrong,  of  the  small  affairs 
of  life  is  a  task  as  fruitless  as  that  of  the  Danaides,  who 
were  doomed  to  draw  v/ater  from  a  deep  well  and  fill  an 
immense^  sieve  with  it.  This  is  the  pain  of  minimum 
piety  which  keeps  us  for  ever  doing  the  same  things  over 
and  over  with  nothing  to  show  for  it.  O  beloved,  let  us 
go  on  to  the  larger  tasks  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  Duty 
is,  to  do  with  truth  and   righteousness  whatever,  in  the 


54  "  THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

providence  of  God,  is  laid  upon  us.  The  world  lieth  in 
darkness ;  go  thou  with  a  flaming  torch  and  help  to  illu- 
minate it !  The  fields  are  yellow  unto  the  harvest ;  thrust 
in  thy  sickle  and  reap!  Souls  are  waiting  to  be  saved; 
go  thou  and  bring  them  back  to  God  ! 

A  few  words  of  closing  counsel. 

First.  Begin.  There  is  no  growth  in  life  unless  you 
have  gotten  hold  of  the  principles.  You  must  leave  them 
to  seek  things  beyond.  The  difference  between  a  Chris- 
tian and  a  non-Christian  is  the  difference  between  a  man 
plodding  to  Jerusalem  with  staff  in  hand  and  another 
man  who  hopes  to  go  to  Jerusalem  but  who  has  not 
started  out. 

Second.  Be  ambitious  to  make  the  most  of  yourself,  to 
do  the  most  for  God.  We  have  only  one  life  here ;  let 
us  realize  the  utmost  possibilities  of  it.  The  children  of 
Israel  might  have  gone  straight  from  Egypt  into  the 
promised  land,  but  alas,  they  were  hindered  by  their  sins 
and  murmurings,  and  went  round  and  round  by  the  way 
of  the  wilderness  for  forty  long  years.  So  we  go  lusting 
for  quails  and  making  golden  calves  for  ourselves  and 
dancing  around  them.  Canaan  is  just  yonder.  I  hear 
the  rushing  flood  of  Jordan.  I  see  the  palm-trees  wa- 
ving on  the  farther  shore.  Let  us  hasten  on  and  possess 
the  land. 

Third.  Do  not  be  discouraged.  Rome  was  not  built 
in  a  day.  Character  is  a  slow  growth.  He  that  believeth 
shall  not  make  haste.  Digging  up  a  newly  planted  bulb 
is  not  going  to  hasten  the  blooming  of  the  lily.  The 
kingdom  of  God  cometh  not  with  observation.  The  day 
does  not  break  instantly.  A  beam — an  arrow  of  light 
shooting  aloft — a  deepening  glow — the  lifting  of  darkness 
like  the  lifting  of  a  veil,  the  stars  vanishing  one  by  one 


LET    US   GO   ON.  55 

like  quenched  candles — the  scattering  of  shadows  like 
panic-stricken  ghosts — the  clouds  changing  from  black  to 
gray,  from  gray  to  amber,  from  amber  to  glorious  crim- 
son, from  crimson  to  burning  gold — the  red  dawn  creeping 
upward  like  a  flush  over  a  human  face — the  woodman's 
axe  ringing  from  the  forest  on  yonder  hill — the  smoke 
rising  from  the  chimney  in  the  meadow  beneath — the  dew 
sparkling  on  the  grass — the  flowers  swinging  their  cen- 
sers— the  birds  singing — sounds  of  busy  life  coming  from 
afar — at  last,  at  last,  the  world  is  awake !  So  is  the 
progress  of  righteousness  in  the  soul — it  shineth  brighter 
and  brighter  unto  the  perfect  day. 

And  then,  passing  through  the  gates  of  heaven  we 
shall  still  be  going  on,  going  on  to  larger  measures  of 
perfection  in  truth  and  character.  There  is  no  solstice 
there.  "  We  all,  with  open  face  beholding  as  in  a  glass  the 
glory  of  the  Lord,  shall  be  changed  into  the  same  image 
from  glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord." 
Let  us  go  on! 


56  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 


A  SENSATIONAL  GOSPEL. 


"  It  pleased  God  by  the  foolishness  of  preaching  to  save  them  that 
believe."     i  Cor.  1:21. 

In  the  divine  economy  it  has  been  determined  that 
preaching — the  foolishness  of  preaching — should  be  the 
instrument  for  the  conversion  of  the  world.  Why  not  the 
sword  ?  Because  God's  thoughts  are  not  as  our  thoughts. 
When  earthly  kings  resolve  on  conquest  we  hear  the 
marshalling  of  the  hosts,  the  sound  of  the  hammer  in  the 
ship-yards,  the  trumpet-blast.  But  when  God  goeth 
forth,  conquering  and  to  conquer,  he  gathers  around  him 
a  company  of  fishermen  and  other  humble  folk  and  bids 
them  go  armed  only  with  the  "Sword  of  the  Spirit" 
which  is  the  Word  of  God. 

When  Jesus  stood  in  the  midst  of  his  little  group  of 
followers,  none  of  them  rich  or  learned  or  influential,  and 
said,  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature,"  princes  and  priests  did  not  tremble,  for 
none  dreamed  that  in  the  fulfilment  of  that  prophetic  com- 
mand all  thrones  and  oracles  should  be  overturned  and 
the  cords  of  the  tabernacle  of  Jesus  should  be  extended 
from  the  river  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Yet  so  it  is. 
This  foolishness  of  preaching  is  in  reality  the  very  wisdom 
and  power  of  God.  The  truths  of  the  gospel  rightly 
presented  must  of  necessity  find  their  way  to  heart  and 
conscience.  What  need  of  adventitious  helps  or  resorts 
to  sensationalism,  so  called,  save  to  that  which  rests  in 
the  intrinsic  power  of  the  truth  ?     They  are  ruled  out. 


A   SENSATIONAL   GOSPEL.  57 

First,  se?isational  themes  ;  that  is,  such  as  have  no  im- 
mediate bearing  on  the  soul's  eternal  welfare. 

Second,  sensational  methods,  the  methods  of  a  mitred 
mountebank  who 

"  Plays  such  fantastic  tricks  before  high  heaven 
As  make  the  angels  weep." 

Third,  the  sejisationalism  of  mere  rhetoric ;  choice 
words,  rounded  periods  with  no  practical  helpfulness  in 
them,  no  message  from  the  Throne. 

"Water,  water,  everywhere! 

And  all  the  boards  did  shrink. 
Water,  water,  everywhere, 
And  not  a  drop  to  drink !" 

Fourth,  the  sensationalism  of  heresy.  The  cheapest 
popularity  in  these  times  is  to  be  won  by  repudiating  the 
symbols  which  were  solemnly  espoused  in  the  ordination 
vow.  The  crowd  runs  together  to  see  a  man  strike  his 
mother  church  in  the  breast.  A  breach  of  common  hon- 
esty in  the  pulpit  will  win  immediate  applause  from  those 
who  are  not  in  cordial  sympathy  with  truth  and  righteous- 
ness. But  the  man  who  resorts  to  this  sensational  device 
is  neither  a  worthy  minister  nor  an  honest  man. 

The  gospel  is  in  itself  sensational  to  the  last  degree,  if 
it  be  worthily  preached.  Its  truths  are  tremendous  in 
their  import  and  take  hold  upon  the  innermost  fibres  of 
the  soul.  Dulness  in  the  pulpit  is  intolerable.  It  can 
only  be  accounted  for  on  the  assumption  that  the  preacher 
has  not  apprehended  his  theme.  "  Why  is  it,"  said  a 
clergyman  to  David  Garrick,  "  that  you  draw  the  multi- 
tudes while  I  preach  to  empty  pews  ?"  "  Because,"  re- 
plied the  actor,  "  I  set  forth  fiction  as  if  it  were  true,  while 
you  preach  the  truth  as  if  it  were  fiction."     We  in  the 


58  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

ministry  need  to  be  more  and  more  drenched  by  the  real- 
ity of  gospel  truth.  When  the  saintly  Summerfield  was 
dying  he  said,  "  Oh  !  now  if  I  could  return  to  my  pulpit 
but  for  an  hour,  how  I  could  preach,  for  I  have  looked 
into  eternity  !"  Would  that  God  might  give  us  clear  eyes 
to  see  those  things  which,  being  unseen,  are  most  real 
and  eternal.  How  then  could  we  preach !  No  need  then 
of  the  vanity  of  adventitious  helps.  We  should  then  be 
able  to  set  forth  burning  thoughts  in  breathing  words  and 
bring  our  people  face  to  face  with  the  solemnities  and  pro- 
fundities of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  In  our  seminary  course 
we  theological  students  were  taught  to  divide  truth  under 
three  heads,  to  wit:  Theology,  Anthropology,  Soteriol- 
ogy.  These  comprehended  the  sum  and  substance  of  the 
Christian  System.  Each  of  these  divisions  of  doctrine 
has  in  it  such  possibilities  of  interest  and  conviction  that 
we  who  preach  them  are  without  excuse  if  they  do  not 
find  their  way  to  the  centre  of  the  hearts  of  men. 

I.    Theology,  i.  e.,  the  science  of  God. 

God  ! !  a  great  word.  A  word  of  three  letters  only, 
but  of  infinite  dimensions ;  easy  to  say,  but  how  difficult 
to  apprehend  !  "  Canst  thou  by  searching  find  out  God?" 
Our  work  is  to  bring  him  near  to  the  hearts  and  con- 
sciences of  the  people,  to  make  God  real.  It  is  ours  to 
declare  the  contents  of  the  Name. 

(i.)  God  essential.  Try  to  define  him.  Here  is 
the  best  definition  that  ever  was  formulated  :  "  God  is  a 
Spirit  (what  is  spirit?),  infinite  (what  is  infinitude?),  eter- 
nal (eternity!),  unchangeable  (how  can  we  grasp  immu- 
tability?), in  his  being,  wisdom,  power,  holiness,  justice, 
goodness,  and  truth."  We  attempt  to  simplify  the  great 
mystery,  and  lo,  a  new  mystery  is  contained  in  every  word. 
Turn  your  telescope  towards  the  farthest  nebula  in  infinite 


A   SENSATIONAL   GOSPEL.  59 

space,  and  lo,  from  far  yonder  comes  back  the  word, 
"  Canst  thou  by  searching  find  out  God  ?"  Turn  your 
microscope  upon  the  last  reduction  of  life,  protoplasm, 
primordial  germ,  and  out  of  that  comes  a  faint  whisper, 
"  Canst  thou  by  searching  find  out  God  ?" 

(2.)  God  personal.  It  is  ours  to  bring  God  near  to 
the  people.  Sir  John  Franklin  relates  that  when  trying 
to  persuade  a  tribe  of  Esquimaux  of  the  divine  presence 
and  interest,  the  chief  answered  him,  "  There  may  be  a 
God,  but  he  surely  knows  nothing  about  us.  Behold  our 
poverty,  our  rude  homes,  our  tattered  garments  !  Behold 
yon  icy  crags !  There  may  be  such  a  being  as  you  men- 
tion ;  but  if  so,  he  is  surely  afar  off."  It  devolves  upon 
us  to  let  the  people  know  that  our  God  is  a  real  person- 
ality, with  eyes  to  see  our  pain  and  sorrow,  with  a  heart  to 
pity  and  mighty  arms  to  help. 

(3.)  God  paternal.  It  was  observed  by  Madame  de 
Gasparin  that  if  Jesus  had  done  nothing  in  his  earthly 
ministry  but  to  teach  men  how  to  say  "  Our  Father,  which 
art  in  heaven,"  that  would  have  been  abundant  compen- 
sation for  the  vast  outlay  involved  in  his  dwelling  among 
men. 

Thus  to  declare  the  infinite,  eternal,  and  unchangeable 
One  is  surely  a  work  that  should  enlist  our  utmost  enthu- 
siasm and  insure  us  against  the  least  possibility  of  dul- 
ness.  Ours  is  the  glorious  work  to  help  the  people  to  find 
God  and  apprehend  him.  Do  you  remember  Moses' 
"  call  to  the  ministry  "  and  how  it  came  to  him  ?  He  was 
out  in  the  wilderness  of  Horeb,  a  fugitive  from  his  people 
and  from  duty.  While  following  Jethro's  flocks  amid  the 
solitudes  he  saw  an  acacia-bush  on  fire.  He  drew  nigh, 
wondering.  The  flames  leaped  through  the  bush,  yet  not 
a  leaf  was  shrivelled,  not  a  twie  was  burned  I    As  he  won- 


60  "THE    MORNING   COMETH." 

dered  a  voice  said,  "  Draw  not  hither;  put  off  thy  sanaafs; 
the  place  whereon  thou  standest  is  holy  ground."  He 
reverently  bowed  his  head  ;  it  had  come  at  last,  "  I  am  the 
God  of  thy  fathers."  He  was  afraid  to  look  or  to  utter  a 
word.  "  I  am  come  down  to  deliver  my  people.  Come 
now,  I  will  send  thee."  "  Who  am  I,"  he  cried,  "that  I 
should  go  ?"  "  I  will  be  with  thee."  "  What  is  thy 
name  ?"  "  Go  say  unto  them,  Jehovah  (I  Am  That  I 
Am)  hath  sent  thee  unto  them."     This  was  his  call. 

He  went.  He  gathered  the  elders  and  told  them  about 
Jehovah.  He  assembled  the  people,  and  with  signs  and 
wonders  showed  them  that  Jehovah  is  God.  He  made  his 
way  to  the  Egyptian  court  and  presented  his  demand : 
"  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  Let  my  people  go."  And  Pharaoh 
replied  with  a  derisive  smile,  "Jehovah?  I  know  Isis,  I 
know  Osiris,  I  know  all  the  gods  of  Egypt ;  but  who,  pray, 
is  this  Jehovah  ?"  And  Moses  said,  "  I  will  declare  him 
unto  thee.  Thou  believest  in  the  Nile-god,  in  the  holy 
Scarabseus,  in  the  Frog-headed  One,  in  Apis,  in  the  divine 
Leek,  in  all  forms  of  adorable  life;  but  Jehovah  will  prove 
himself  the  master  of  all  the  gods."  He  waved  his  rod, 
and  the  Nile  was  a  rolling  torrent  of  blood ;  he  waved 
again,  and  frogs  came  up  from  the  water-side  into  their 
ovens,  their  kncading-troughs,  their  bed-chambers.  Once 
more,  and  the  air  was  full  of  gnats  and  beetles.  They 
should  have  enough  of  holy  Scarabaeus !  Again,  and  a 
murrain  fell  upon  the  cattle ;  lo,  Apis  was  put  to  shame ! 
Again,  and  destruction  rained  down  upon  fields  of  wheat 
and  the  gardens  of  leeks  and  onions.  Yet  once  more, 
and  the  homes  of  Egypt  sent  forth  a  mighty  wail  for  the 
dead.  "  I  Am  That  I  Am  "  thus  proved  himself  Lord  of 
Life  and  of  Death.  At  last  Pharaoh  bowed  his  head,  con- 
vinced that  Jehovah  alone  is  God. 


A  SENSATIONAL   GOSPEL.  6 1 

This  too  is  our  commission,  to  let  rulers  and  people 
know  that  Jehovah  reigns  and  will  have  his  way  among 
the  children  of  men. 

II.  Anthropology,  that  is,  the  science  of  man. 

We  do  not  know  ourselves.  It  is  a  .true  saying,  "  The 
proper  study  of  mankind  is  man."  It  devolves  upon  us 
to  make  the  people  see  themselves,  not  "  as  ithers  see 
them,"  but  as  they  are  and  as  they  appear  in  the  clear 
sight  of  God.  In  so  doing  we  shall  find  ourselves  at  no 
loss  for  material  to  enchain  the  attention.  There  is  no 
room  for  dulness  here. 

(i.)  We  are  to  throw  upon  the  canvas  the  picture  of 
man  as  God  created  him.  He  breathed  into  his  nostrils 
the  breath  of  life,  and  he  became  a  living  soul.  He  made 
him  a  little  lower  than  God.  Here  he  is  under  the  trees 
of  Paradise,  his  heart  full  of  happiness,  conscience  clear  as 
the  sunlight ;  he  walks  with  God  in  the  cool  of  the  day. 
He  has  kingly  dominion  over  all  the  creatures.  What  a 
splendid  heritage  is  his  !  What  a  glorious  outlook  is  be- 
fore him  ! 

(2.)  We  are  to  throw  upon  the  canvas  another  pic- 
ture— of  man  exiled  from  Paradise,  sent  out  into  a  wilder- 
ness of  toil  and  sorrow,  his  head  fallen  on  his  breast, 
his  heart  full  of  shame,  his  conscience  smitten  with  re- 
morse, tottering  on  towards  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of 
Death. 

Man,  lost  and  ruined ;  on  his  brow  one  word,  Icha- 
bod — the  glory  hath  departed  ! 

(3.)  We  are  to  throw  upon  the  canvas  another  pic- 
ture— a  spectre  black  as  midnight — Sin. 

It  was  sin  that  wrought  the  awful  calamity.  Sin  has 
dug  every  grave.  Sin  has  unsheathed  every  sword  that 
has  ever  been  flashed  upon  a  battlefield.     Sin  has  desola- 


62  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

ted  homes,  corrupted  social  life,  and  ruined  governments. 
Sin  bloats  the  face  of  youth  and  scars  its  beauty  with  foul 
traces  of  lust  and  inebriety.  Sin  dethrones  the  proudest 
intellects  and  sets  the  maddened  soul  on  fire  of  hell.  Sin 
sharpened  the  dagger  that  pierced  the  heart  of  the  Only 
Begotten  Son  of  God. 

It  is  easy  to  preach  smooth  things.  The  multitudes 
demand  them  (Isa.  30:10),  but  we  must  turn  not  aside. 
Cry  aloud,  spare  not,  lift  up  thy  voice  like  a  trumpet 
and  show  the  people  their  sin — sin,  and  death  following 
after.  Not  sin  in  the  abstract,  not  sin  floating  in  the  air 
like  the  breath  of  a  pestilence  or  exhaling  like  miasma 
from  the  slums,  but  sin  abiding  in  human  hearts  and 
making  itself  manifest  in  human  lives — sin  in  you  and  in 
me. 

So  the  call  came  to  Nathan,  "  Go  show  David  his  sin." 
The  king  had  committed  a  dreadful  offence.  He  had 
murdered  Uriah  and  taken  Bathsheba  to  wife.  He  had 
kept  his  crime  in  his  own  breast,  but  his  soul  was  troubled. 
Over  the  blue  skies,  where  once  he  loved  to  read  the 
divine  glory,  was  written  —  Murder  !  The  winds  that 
whistled  round  his  palace  shrieked — Adultery !  In  the 
watches  of  the  night  he  saw  in  letters  of  fire  on  the  dark 
walls  of  his  chamber — Uriah !  And  when  he  knelt  in 
prayer,  voices  called  to  him  from  the  corners  of  his 
closet — Bathsheba  !  In  the  temple  the  hosannas  and  hal- 
lelujahs of  the  great  choirs  had  an  undertone  like  a  wail 
of  sorrow  that  reminded  him  of  his  dreadful  sin. 

The  court  preacher  entered.  After  a  respectful  salu- 
tation he  laid  before  the  king  a  case  for  judgment,  a 
trifling  affair  yet  worthy  of  the  royal  attention.  "  A  poor 
man  had  one  little  ewe  lamb.  It  was  dear  as  a  daughter, 
ate  of  his  food  and  drank  of  his  cup.     His  rich  neighbor 


A   SENSATIONAL   GOSPEL.  63 

had  many  flocks  and  herds,  but  when  his  hospitality  was 
needed  he  spared  to  take  of  his  own  possessions  and 
seized  upon  the  ewe  lamb."  Thus  far  when  the  king  in- 
terrupted him,  "As  the  Lord  liveth,  the  man  that  hath 
done  this  thing  shall  surely  die  !"  The  moment  has  come. 
A  sermon  is  a  thrust.  Draw  thy  blade,  O  prophet  of  the 
Lord  !     "  Thou  art  the  man  !" 

The  iron  enters  into  David's  soul;  he  sees  himself 
stripped  of  purple  and  ermine,  a  sinner  before  God.  Up 
the  winding  stairway  he  staggers  to  his  closet  on  the 
house-top,  the  face  of  Uriah  staring  into  his — a  cold,  reso- 
lute, brave  face.  He  bends  in  his  closet,  and  from  every 
nook  and  cranny  the  filmed  eyes  of  the  dead  Uriah  are 
gazing  at  him.  He  kneels — listen  at  his  door :  "  Have 
mercy  upon  me,  O  God,  according  to  thy  loving-kind- 
ness ;  according  unto  the  multitude  of  thy  tender  mercies 
blot  out  my  transgressions.  For  I  acknowledge  my 
transgressions  ;  and  my  sin  is  ever  before  me.  Against 
thee,  thee  only,  have  I  sinned  and  done  this  evil  in  thy 
sight." 

This  is  the  tremendous  fact  which  we  are  to  declare  to 
our  people— we  are  all  alike  and  there  is  no  difference ; 
we  have  all  sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God. 
In  our  brain,  our  conscience,  our  heart,  is  the  black 
plague-spot  of  sin. 

To  preach  this  as  it  ought  to  be  preached  is  of  neces- 
sity to  touch  men  at  the  very  core  of  their  being.  If  we 
did  but  apprehend  the  truth  in  its  reality  we  should  preach 
it  with  such  effect  as  was  seen  when  Jonathan  Edwards 
spoke  of  "sinners  in  the  hands  of  an  angry  God,"  when 
men  and  women  cried  out  in  their  anguish  of  conviction 
and  clung  for  support  to  the  pillars  of  the  church.  No 
need  of  adventitious  helps  to  win  attention.     No  room  for 


64  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

dulness  here,  if  only  we  have  ourselves  realized  the  ex- 
ceeding sinfulness  of  sin.     Rom.  7:  13. 

III.  Soteriology ,  i.  e.,  the  science  of  salvation.  This 
is  the  third  link  in  the  gospel  chain  of  reconciliation  with 
God.  The  substance  of  the  gospel  is  perfectly  compre- 
hended in  three  startling  truths  : 

(1.)  The  Incarnation.  Great  is  the  mystery  of  god- 
liness'; God  was  manifested  in  the  flesh!  We  are  to 
stand  at  the  threshold  of  the  stable  in  Bethlehem  and 
bring  to  the  knowledge  of  our  people  this  wondrous 
adumbration  of  Deity.  Here  are  heard  the  songs  of 
angels,  the  laughter  of  children,  the  joy  of  those  who 
have  been  groping  for  the  Infinite.  Here  all  the  sons  of 
God  are  shouting  for  joy.  Who  does  not  covet  the 
privilege  of  him  who  stands  here  to  usher  sorrowing,  be- 
wildered souls  into  the  presence  of  the  enfleshed  God  ? 

(2.).  The  Atonement.  All  souls  are  asking,  "  What 
shall  we  do  to  be  saved?"  All  are  desiring  to  know  how 
man  may  be  reconciled  with  God.  We  preach  the  re- 
demptive glory  of  the  cross.  We  cry,  "Look,  and 
live!" 

A  poor  demented  creature,  a  fisherman's  wife,  came  to 
the  minister  with  her  hands  full  of  wet  sand,  saying,  "  Do 
you  see  it  ?  Oh  my  sins !  as  the  sands  of  the  sea-shore 
for  multitude,  as  the  sands  of  the  sea-shore  !"  "  Where 
did  you  get  it?"  said  he.  "  Down  by  the  beacon."  "  Go 
down  by  the  beacon  and  put  it  there.  Dig  deep  and  pile 
up  as  high  as  ever  you  can.  Wait  until  the  tide  rolls  in." 
She  went  down  by  the  beacon,  heaped  up  the  sand,  and 
stood  waiting.  She  watched  the  waves  as  they  crept 
higher  and  higher  until  they  swept  over  her  sins,  and  she 
clapped  her  hands  for  joy.  It  was  a  pantomime  of  the 
glorious  truth.     Oh,  beloved,  the  tide,  the  crimson  tide, 


A   SENSATIONAL   GOSPEL.  65 

rolls  in  !  Here  under  the  cross  we  preach  the  gospel  of 
Redemptive  Love.  The  tide  rolls  in  ;  "  It  cleanseth  me, 
it  cleanseth  me ;  oh  praise  the  Lord,  it  cleanseth  me !" 

(3.)  The  Resurrection.  Life  and  immortality  are 
brought  to  light.  The  darkest  night  the  world  ever  saw 
was  when  Jesus  lay  in  his  sepulchre.  The  Sun  of  Right- 
eousness was  eclipsed.  But  the  brightest  dawn  was  when 
he  broke  the  bands  of  death  and  ascended  up  on  high  and 
took  captivity  captive.  Here  at  the  open  sepulchre  we 
stand  pointing  to  the  open  heavens  whither  he  has  gone. 
Lo,  yonder  the  keys  of  death  and  hell  are  at  his  girdle, 
and  the  seal  of  divine  indorsement  is  put  upon  his  media- 
torial work.  Here  is  comfort  for  all  who  mourn.  Here 
is  courage  for  all  who  tremble  before  the  King  of  Terrors. 
Here  is  the  triumph  of  heavenly  grace.  Why  need  I 
fear? 

"  The  world  recedes,  it  disappears ; 

Heaven  opens  on  mine  eyes  !     Mine  ears 

With  sounds  seraphic  ring. 
Lend  !  lend  your  wings  !  I  mount !  I  fly  ! 
O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ? 

O  death,  where  is  thy  sting?" 

What  splendid  opportunities  of  enchaining  the  atten- 
tion and  capturing  the  hearts  of  men  !  We  stand  as  did 
the  sentinel  upon  the  wall  of  Orleans  when  reinforcements 
came.  The  walls  had  been  breached  and  shattered,  the 
people  were  reduced  to  the  last  extremity.  The  old 
priest,  Anianus,  was  praying  in  their  midst.  From  the 
ramparts  came  the  cry,  "  I  see  the  rescue  of  the  Lord !" 
It  was  only  a  cloud  far  yonder  on  the  hills.  Nearer  and 
nearer  it  came.  "  I  see  the  glistening  of  spears,  I  see  the 
waving  of  the  Gothic  banners  !"  The  cloud  drew  nearer 
from  the  distance;   it  was   the   squadron   of  Theodoric. 

5 


66  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

The  people  were  saved.  Oh,  beloved,  it  is  ours  to  stand 
upon  the  outer  ramparts  of  death  and  announce  the  "  Res- 
cue of  the  Lord."  The  banners  are  waving,  the  shields 
of  heaven  aglow  with  the  morning  light,  heaven  is  opened, 
hosannas  and  hallelujahs  are  all  around  us. 

These  are  the  glorious  truths  which  we  are  commis- 
sioned to  declare  unto  you.  Pray  for  us  that  our  lips 
may  be  touched  with  a  live  coal  from  the  heavenly  altar. 
(Isa.  6.6.)  Pray  for  us  that  our  hearts  may  be  filled 
with  the  glory  of  the  truth.  Pray  for  us  that  the  vision  of 
the  burning  bush  may  be  vouchsafed  to  us.  And  pray 
for  yourselves,  beloved,  that  your  hearts  may  be  opened 
to  receive  the  truth.  For  though  we  spake  with  the 
tongues  of  angels,  yet  our  utterances  would  be  vain  unless 
the  bolts  were  drawn  and  the  doors  opened  to  receive 
the  message  of  truth.  Spiritual  things  are  spiritually  dis- 
cerned. Oh,  Holy  Ghost,  come  and  prepare  the  way 
before  the  truth  !  Force  its  passage  through  barriers 
which  sin  has  heaped  up  before  it.  Help  us  to  hearken. 
Give  us  the  hearing  ear  and  the  understanding  heart. 
For  if  this  everlasting  gospel  is  true  at  all  it  is  awfully, 
eternally,  divinely  true.  So  help  us  to  receive  it,  for  Je- 
sus' sake.     Amen. 


CHARACTER-BUILDING.  6j 

CHARACTER-BUILDING. 


"  For  other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  which  is 
Jesus  Christ.  Now  if  any  man  build  upon  this  foundation,  gold, 
silver,  precious  stones,  wood,  hay,  stubble,  every  man's  work 
shall  be  made  manifest ;  for  the  day  shall  declare  it,  because 
it  shall  be  revealed  by  fire;  and  the  fire  shall  try  every  man's 
work  of  what  sort  it  is."     i  Cor.  3:11-13. 

In  my  hand  is  a  letter  addressed  by  a  college  student 
to  his  mother,  in  which  he  says : 

"  I  want  your  advice  upon  the  comprehensive  subject  of  char- 
acter-building. I  wish  mine  to  be  built  right,  but  I  fear  I  do 
not  know  how  to  go  about  it.  It  is  not  enough  to  avoid  putting 
in  poor  material ;  the  edifice  cannot  rise  rapidly  or  well  unless 
good  material  is  put  in.  And  I  don't  know  just  what  quarries 
to  visit  in  search  of  this,  nor,  more  important  still,  how  to  get  it 
from  the  quarries  and  apply  it  to  my  needs.  Perhaps  it  is  be- 
cause my  needs  are"  as  yet  rather  vague  and  undefined,  for  I 
have  never  thought  much  on  this  matter  until  recently.  What 
shall  I  do  ?    Where  shall  I  go  ?" 

A  youth  who  can  write  in  this  manner  is  surely  not  far 
from  the  kingdom  of  God.  It  is  written  of  the  young 
ruler  who  ran  to  prostrate  himself  before  Jesus  that  he 
asked,  "  What  shall  I  do  that  I  may  inherit  eternal  life  ?" 
and  Jesus,  beholding  him,  loved  him.  The  heart  of  the 
Master  ever  goes  out  to  an  earnest  young  man.  The 
world  is  so  full  of  youth  who  are  chasing  thistle-down  that 
one  who  seriously  confronts  the  problems  of  eternal  life  is 
worthy  ol  profound  consideration.  Nor  could  any  ques- 
tion be  of  more  serious  import  than  this  of  character- 
building.      "Where  shall  I  go?  and  what  shall  I  do?" 


63  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

Our  life  is  structural.  That  the  apostle  Paul  so  re- 
garded it  may  be  learned  from  his  frequent  use  of  the 
words  edify  and  edification,  the  etymological  meaning  of 
which  is  "  house-building."  We  are  each  building  a 
house  to  dwell  in — to  dwell  in  for  ever.  Character  is  the 
enduring  thing.  "  Thou  delightest  my  heart,"  said  the 
Emperor  Augustus  to  Piso,  who  was  rearing  a  splendid 
edifice  of  marble,  "  because  thou  art  building  as  if  Rome 
were  eternal."  We  build  for  eternity.  As  the  tree  fall- 
eth,  so  shall  it  lie.  As  death  leaves  us,  eternity  finds  us. 
Over  the  portal  through  which  we  pass  out  of  probation 
into  destiny  is  written,  "  He  that  is  unjust,  let  him  be 
unjust  still;  he  that  is  righteous,  let  him  be  righteous 
still."  So  we  build  for  eternity,  for  weal  or  woe,  a 
thatched  hut,  fit  only  for  bats  and  vermin  to  revel  in,  or  a 
sanctuary  that  shall  resound  with  hallelujahs. 

St.  Paul  is  writing  to  the  Corinthians.  Corinth  was  a 
cuv  of  striking  contrasts,  of  vast  wealth  and  sordid  pov- 
erty. The  abject  multitudes  dwelt  in  "  ergastula,"  straw 
huts  and  hovels;  but  there  were  multitudes  ol  palatial 
homes.  The  palace  of  the  Proconsul  was  there,  the  Posi- 
donium,  or  Temple  of  Neptune,  and  the  magnificent  thea- 
tre for  the  Isthmian  games.  So  the  people  who  dwelt  in 
Corinth  would  understand  the  apostle's  architectural  fig- 
ure, ''we  are  building."  We  are  building  in  our  quietest 
hours ;  the  still  moments  of  our  life  have  in  them  the  plot 
of  eternal  dramas.     Let  us  build  well. 

I.  As  to  the  foundation.  Let  us  make  no  mistake  here. 
It  makes  a  vast  difference  what  we  build  on.  The  Lord 
tells  us  of  two  shepherds  who  led  their  flocks  down  by 
the  water  courses  and  sought  for  a  suitable  place  whereon 
to  build  their  watch-huts.  One  selected  a  place  by  the 
river-side  where  the  herbage  was  green  and  easy  of  access. 


CHARACTER-BUILDING.  69 

The  other,  more  prudent,  preferred  a  shelf  of  the  rock. 
Every  handful  of  straw  for  its  thatching  must  be  carried 
up  a  toilsome  path.  It  would  be  a  difficult  matter,  more- 
over, to  fold  his  flocks  at  eventide.  But  presently  the 
stormy  season  was  at  hand  ;  the  rains  descended,  the  floods 
came,  the  winds  blew  and  beat  upon  his  house,  but  it  ftll 
not.  He  stood  in  his  doorway  and  saw  the  torrent  roll 
through  the  wady  below — with  infinite  but  vain  compas- 
sion saw  it  sweep  away  his  neighbor's  house  to  utter  ruin. 
Oh  yes,  it  makes  a  difference  what  a  man  builds  on. 

The  foundation  is  already  laid  for  us.  "  Other  foun- 
dation can  no  man  lay  than  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ," 
the  Rock  of  Ages. 

And  what  is  it  to  build  on  Christ?  It  is  not  merely 
to  receive  his  teachings  by  an  intellectual  assent.  The 
learned  Grotius,  who  had  taught  theology  all  his  life, 
lamented  at  the  last  that  truth  had  taken  no  vital  grip 
upon  his  heart.  It  is  not  to  receive  Christ  sentimentally. 
To  be  a  Christian  is  something  vastly  other  than  merely 
to  rhapsodize  about  the  Lord  or  to  sing  "  All  hail  the 
power  of  Jesus'  name !"  Nor  is  it  merely  to  enroll  our- 
selves upon  the  roster  of  the  Christian  Church,  for  there 
will  be  multitudes  who  at  the  last  shall  knock,  saying, 
"Lord,  Lord,  open  unto  us.  We  have  cast  out  devils 
in  thy  name,  and  in  thy  name  done  many  wonderful 
works ;"  but  he  shall  say,  "  I  never  knew  you :  depart 
from  me,  ye  that  work  iniquity." 

To  build  on  Jesus  Christ  is  to  receive  him  in  such  a 
manner  that  our  lives  shall  be  blended  in  his  and  we  shall 
be  able  to  say,  "  I  am  crucified  with  him ;  nevertheless  I 
live,  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  iiveth  in  me." 

It  is  to  accept  him  with  such  an  all-embracing  consent 
that  his  will  shall  be  our  will,  his  work  our  work,  his  people 


70  "THE   MORNING    COMETH.' 

our  people,  his  manner  of  life  our  rule  of  action,  his  Bible 
the  man  of  our  counsel,  his  slightest  wish  our  law,  himself 
our  first,  last,  midst,  and  all  in  all. 

(i.)  We  receive  him  as  our  Pi'ophet,  i.  e.,  as  our  au- 
thoritative teacher.  In  seeking  after  wisdom,  which  is  the 
principal  thing,  we  as  believers  in  Jesus  Christ  pass  by  all 
the  philosophical  schools  and  come  at  length  unto  the 
clear  visions  of  Tabor,  where  we  behold  no  man  save  Jesus 
only,  and  voices  from  heaven  speak,  "  This  is  my  beloved 
Son ;  hear  him." 

His  word  is  our  court  of  last  appeal.  If  he  teaches 
the  doctrine  of  eternal  retribution — the  undying  worm 
and  the  unquenchable  fire — we  can  listen  no  more  to  the 
suggestions  of  a  "  second  probation."  The  Lord  has  spo- 
ken, and  his  is  the  final  word.  If  he  says,  "  Ask,  and  it 
shall  be  given  you ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find ;  knock,  and  it 
shall  be  opened  unto  you :  for  every  one  that  asketh  receiv- 
eth,  and  he  that  seeketh  findeth,  and  to  him  that  knocketh 
it  shall  be  opened,"  we  are  not  at  liberty  to  question  as  to 
our  Father's  willingness  to  hear,  or  to  resort  to  any  prayer- 
test  whatsoever,  for  his  is  the  final  word.  If  he  delivers  the 
Bible  to  us  as  an  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  practice,  that 
ends  the  question  as  to  the  validity  of  Holy  Writ.  If 
there  were  mistakes  in  the  original  Scriptures  and  he  was 
ignorant  of  them,  he  surely  was  not  wise  enough  to  be  a 
prophet  for  us ;  or  if  he  was  aware  of  them  and  gave  no 
hint  or  intimation  to  enlighten  us,  he  surely  was  not  frank 
enough  to  be  a  prophet  for  us.  He  has  spoken,  "  Search 
the  scriptures,  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal  life, 
and  these  are  they  which  testify  of  me."  If  we  are  Chris- 
tians, the  final  word  has  been  spoken.  We  have  no  alter- 
native but  to  receive  Christ's  teaching  with  respect  to  the 
Scriptures  as  the  veritable  Word  of  God. 


CHARACTER-BUILDING.  7 1 

(2.)  We  receive  Him  as  our  Priest.  He  alone  is  com- 
petent to  make  atonement  for  us.  Once  wounded  for  our 
transgressions  and  bruised  for  our  iniquities,  by  his  stripes 
he  healeth  us.  He  bare  our  sins,  their  shame,  their  bond- 
age, and  their  penalty,  in  his  own  body  on  the  accursed 
tree.     We  repose  our  only  hope  of  eternal  life  in  him. 

"  The  atoning  work  is  done, 
The  Victim's  blood  is  shed  ; 
And  Jesus  now  is  gone 

His  people's  cause  to  plead. 
He  stands  in  heaven  their  great  High  Priest 
And  bears  their  names  upon  his  breast." 

(3.)  We  receive  him  also  as  our  King.  He  is  a  Sa- 
viour with  a  sceptre.  It  is  ours  to  obey,  as  one  of  the 
fathers  has  written,  "  without  sciscitation."  In  vain  will 
you  search  your  dictionary  for  that  word  "sciscitation," 
but  we  may  conjecture  as  to  its  meaning.  To  obey  with- 
out sciscitation  means  without  questioning,  without  mur- 
muring, without  interposing  our  personal  judgment,  with- 
out trepidation,  without  a  doubt  as  to  the  Master's  right 
to  command  us.  "  Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord,  and  ye 
say  well,  for  so  I  am."  If  we  have  received  him  as  our 
King,  the  word  of  the  virgin  mother  should  be  for  our 
guidance,  "  Whatsoever  he  saith  unto  you,  do  it." 

II.  So  far  as  to  the  foundation.  We  are  now  ready  for 
the  superstructure.  The  superstructure  is  character 
which  we,  as  Christians,  are  to  build  on  Christ  the  ever- 
lasting Rock. 

"But  let  every  man  take  heed  how  he  buildeth  there- 
upon, for  if  any  shall  build  upon  this  foundation,  gold, 
silver,  precious  stones,  wood,  hay,  stubble,  his  v/ork  shall 
be  made  manifest,  for  the  day  shall  declare  it  and  the  fire 
shall  try  it." 


J2  "  THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

The  reference  of  the  apostle,  in  these  words  of  admo- 
nition, was  probably  to  the  conflagration  of  Mummius 
which  consumed  a  large  portion  of  Corinth,  B.  C.  146. 
The  marble  homes  and  palaces  were  unharmed,  but  the 
straw-thatched  huts  were  utterly  swept  away.  The  poor 
tenants  were  saved,  but  they  wept  over  the  loss  of  their 
"  all."  So,  says  Paul,  take  heed  how  ye  build,  for  the 
time  is  coming  when  your  fabric  shall  be  put  to  the  test ; 
the  day  shall  declare  it,  the  fire  shall  try  it. 

But  what  are  the  things  which  go  to  make  up  char- 
acter ? 

(1.)  Creed.  Archimedes  was  wont  to  say  that  he 
could  lift  the  world  if  only  he  might  find  a  place  for  the 
fulcrum  of  his  lever.  A  man's  creed  is  his  pou  sio,  his 
point  of  leverage.  Our  power  is  measured  by  our  faith. 
The  potter,  Palissy,  believed  in  white  enamel  and  spent 
his  life  in  an  endeavor  to  produce  it.  Peter  the  hermit 
believed  in  the  rescue  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  and  roused 
all  Christendom  to  accomplish  it.  Alexander  T.  Stewart 
believed  in  gold  as  the  principal  thing,  and  died  in  pos- 
session of  an  abundance  of  it.  Columbus  believed  in 
"  India  to  the  West,"  and  found  San  Salvador.  William 
Carey  believed  in  "  India  for  Christ,"  and  gave  the  primal 
impulse  to  the  great  missionary  propaganda.  A  man 
without  a  creed  is  a  purposeless  do-naught.  As  a  man 
thinketh  in  his  heart,  so  is  he. 

(2.)  The  next  thing  in  the  making  up  of  character  is  a 
consistent  vianner  of  life.  A  man  must  exemplify  his 
creed  in  his  walk  and  conversation.  The  only  piety  that  is 
worth  the  having  is  piety  that  tells  the  truth,  that  pays  its 
debts  when  they  fall  due,  that  gives  sixteen  ounces  to  the 
pound,  that  votes  for  the  upright  candidates,  that  utters 
never  an  envious  or  unsavory  word,  that  laughs  with  the 


CIIARACTER-EUILDING.  73 

clear  sweet  laughter  of  childhood  and  not  with  that  dry 
cachinnation  of  folly  which  is  as  the  crackling-  of  thorns, 
which  conserves  the  peace  of  the  home  and  the  comfort  of 
the  neighborhood,  which  fears  to  do  evil  and  loves  to  do 
well. 

When  the  cynic,  Diogenes,  was  informed  that  a  fellow 
philosopher  of  unsavory  character  was  still  engaged  upon 
an  elaborate  system  of  truth,  he  dryly  remarked,  "  So ! 
and  when  will  he  begin  to  practise  it  ?"  A  wiser  than 
he  has  said,  "  Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth ;  but  if  the 
salt  hath  lost  its  savor  it  is  thenceforth  good  for  naught 
but  to  be  cast  out  and  trodden  under  foot  of  men." 

(3.)  The  last  element  in  the  building  of  character  is  co- 
operation with  God.  Without  this  the  edifice  is  but  a 
roofless  thing.  To  spend  one's  energy  in  the  mere  for- 
mulation of  a  creed  and  the  elaboration  of  personal  graces 
is  to  live  a  purely  selfish  life. 

Not  long  ago  a  ship  foundered  off  this  coast  and 
many  of  her  passengers  went  down.  Her  captain,  wear- 
ing two  life-preservers,  was  dragged  aboard  a  fishing- 
boat,  more  dead  than  alive.  On  recovering,  his  first 
words  were,  "  Where  are  my  wife  and  children  ?"  He 
should  have  thought  of  that  before.  If  he  had  been  a 
thorough  man  he  would  have  buckled  those  life-preserv- 
ers on  his  wife  and  children  and  struck  out  for  himself. 
Too  much  of  the  worrying  we  Christians  do  is  about 
our  own  salvation.  We  are  all  too  little  concerned  about 
the  deliverance  of  the  great  multitude  of  struggling  swim- 
mers in  the  deep.  The  Lord  said,  "  My  Father  worketh 
and  I  work."  God  worketh.  In  the  footfall  of  mission- 
aries who  tread  dangerous  paths  and  pursue  weary  jour- 
neyings  in  pagan  lands,  in  the  prayers  of  mothers  who 
are  pleading  for  their  wayward  children,  in  the  voices  of 


74  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

those  who  declare  the  glorious  gospel  from  ten  thousand 
pulpits,  we  note  the  tokens  that  our  Father  is  at  work. 
Oh  that  we  may  all,  in  sympathy  with  Jesus,  answer, 
"  And  I  work !"  He  stood  between  the  market-place  and 
the  harvest-field:  on  one  hand  were  the  idlers,  on  the 
other  the  golden  grain,  and  he  said,  "  Go  ye,  thrust  in  the 
sickle  and  reap."  It  is  for  us,  if  we  are  true  men  and 
loyal,  eager  to  build  up  character  in  the  likeness  of  Jesus, 
the  ideal  man,  to  enter  into  eager  participation  with  him 
in  the  great  work  of  delivering  the  enslaved  race  from 
its  bondage  of  sin. 

Cannot  a  man  be  saved  without  such  a  character  ? 
Ay,  that  he  can :  he  can  be  saved  so  as  by  fire.  He  can 
stand  at  the  last  like  those  poor  Corinthians  when  the  con- 
flagration had  swept  away  their  homes,  saved  but  lament- 
ing the  loss  of  their  all.  O  God,  let  us  come  to  heaven's 
gate  not  like  idlers,  empty-handed,  but  laden  with  the 
golden  sheaves  of  the  harvest.  Let  us  come,  not  like 
those  trustees  of  the  heavenly  bounty  who,  having  re- 
ceived one  talent,  shall  bring  it  in  an  earth-stained  nap- 
kin, but  rather  as  those  who  are  burdened  with  the 
riches  of  the  spiritual  life.  Let  us  come  not  as  fugitives 
escaping  from  the  avengers  of  blood,  with  the  footsteps 
close  behind  them,  but  rather  as  victors,  bearing  in  our 
bodies  the  marks  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  scars  of  many 
valiant  struggles  with  our  darling  sins,  of  many  an  earnest 
conflict  with  the  strongholds  of  iniquity,  and  leading  with 
us  a  company  of  captives  of  hope,  saying,  "  Here,  Lord, 
am  I  and  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me."  O  Lord, 
save  us  not  as  by  fire,  but  rather  minister  unto  us  an 
abundant  entrance  at  heaven's  gate ! 


SEVEN   WONDERS.  75 


SEVEX  WOXDERS. 


"  Be  astonished,  O  ye  heavens,  at  this."    Jer.  2  :  12. 

Our  curiosity  is  a  racial  trait.  We  smile  at  the  Athe- 
nians because  they  spent  their  time  in  nothing  else  but 
to  see  and  hear  some  new  thing,  but  we  all  have  the 
same  infirmity.  A  dime  museum  will  attract  more  pa- 
trons than  a  university  lecture  course.  We  run  after  the 
outr6,  the  extraordinary,  the  abnormal.  Like  the  Jews 
we  are  always  clamoring  for  a  sign,  for  something  out  of 
the  common.  The  parents  of  the  olden  time  were  wont 
to  tell  their  eager  children  of  the  seven  wonders.  These 
were:  (1.)  The  Pyramids.  (2.)  The  Temple  of  the  great 
Diana  of  the  Ephesians.  (3.)  The  Statue  of  Jupiter  at 
Olympia.  (4.)  The  Tomb  of  Mausolus.  (What  a  satire  on 
immortality  !  Who  was  Mausolus  ?  We  know  not,  but 
the  mausoleum  is  with  us.  He  gave  his  name  and  glory 
to  his  tomb.)  (5.)  The  Colossus  at  Rhodes.  (6.)  The 
Pharos  at  Alexandria.  (7.)  The  Hanging  Gardens  of 
Babylon. 

The  world  has  been  moving,  however.  The  old  won- 
ders are  obsolete.  One  can  reach  with  his  finger-tips 
seven  more  wonderful  wonders  than  they :  the  steam- 
engine — the  sewing-machine — the  phonograph — the  sub- 
marine cable — St.  Patrick's  Cathedral  (that  marvel  of 
beautiful  architecture  and  municipal  fraud  !) — Greenwood 
Cemetery  (abounding  with  marvels  of  sculpture  and  in- 
scriptions of  hope  beyond  what  the  ancient  world  knew) — 
and  our  Statue  of  Liberty  Enlightening  the  World. 


76  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

We  have  to  do,  however,  at  this  moment  with  marvels 
in  the  province  of  the  spiritual  life.  There  are  some 
things  here  touching  our  relations  with  the  spiritual  world 
whereat  heaven  must  wonder.  A  thoughtful  man  will 
find  it  impossible  to  explain  them. 

First  Wonder — an  Unclaimed  Crown.  God  made  man 
in  His  likeness,  with  a  splendid  birthright  and  glorious 
possibilities  before  him.  He  was  of  the  line  royal,  the 
blood  of  the  King  of  kings  flowing  in  his  veins.  He  was 
made  rational,  able  to  ponder  the  great  questions  of  the 
spiritual  life.  He  was  made  immortal,  animated  by  the 
breath  which  God  himself  had  breathed  into  his  nostrils 
and  destined  to  live  for  ever.  He  was  made  an  heir  of 
the  kingdom.  If  a  child  of  God,  then  an  heir  of  glory, 
and  joint-heir  with  God's  only  Son  to  an  inheritance  in- 
corruptible, undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away. 

Where  is  the  man  to  whom  God  extends  this  crown  ? 
See  him  yonder  chasing  butterflies,  pursuing  thistle-down. 
He  calls  this  pleasure.  See  him  toiling  with  a  muck-rake, 
his  eyes  downcast,  plucking  coins  out  of  the  garbage  and 
loading  himself  with  them.  He  calls  this  wealth.  See  him 
climbing  laboriously  the  rocky  side  of  yonder  cliff  that  he 
may  carve  his  initials  upon  its  face — and  fall.  And  this  is 
fame  !  All  the  while  the  windows  of  heaven  are  open 
above  him  and  the  glory  of  the  celestial  realms  is  unveiled 
before  him.  He  gives  no  heed.  God  reaches  forth  to 
him  a  crown  of  righteousness.  He  gives  no  heed.  Hear, 
O  heavens,  and  give  ear,  O  earth,  for  this  is  a  marvellous 
thing ! 

Second,  a  Secret  Sin.  Here  we  touch  the  lowest  part 
of  our  nature.  A  dog  with  a  bone  sneaks  off  to  a  cor- 
ner of  the  garden  and  buries  it,  watching  meanwhile  out 
of  the  corners  of  his  eyes  that  none  may  know  his  secret. 


SEVEN   WONDERS.  'JJ 

So  we  bury  our  darling  sins,  so  we  flatter  ourselves  that 
none  shall  ever  find  us  out.  An  Egyptian  princess  died 
four  thousand  years  ago  and  her  body  was  committed  to 
a  company  of  priests  for  embalming.  They  said,  "  Let  us 
save  ourselves  the  trouble;  it  will  never  be  known."  So 
they  dipped  the  body  of  a  common  Egyptian  into  bitumen 
and  placed  it  in  the  princess'  casket.  It  was  a  clever 
trick  ;  but  a  few  years  ago,  before  a  company  of  scientists 
at  Tremont  Temple,  gathered  together  to  witness  the  un- 
swathing of  the  royal  mummy,  the  bands  of  byssus  were 
unwound  and  the  fraud  perpetrated  by  those  priests,  now 
forty  centuries  dead  and  turned  to  dust,  was  detected. 
There  is  indeed  nothing  hidden  that  shall  not  be  brought 
to  light,  and  that  which  is  done  in  a  corner  shall  be  pro- 
claimed on  the  housetop.  "  Thou  hast  set  our  iniquity 
before  thee,  our  secret  sins  in  the  light  of  thy  countenance !" 
Noonday,  calcium  light,  electric  light,  the  terrible  light- 
ning showing  the  landscape  for  one  vivid  instant — what 
are  these  to  the  flames  glowing  from  the  eyes  of  a  justly 
indignant  God  ? 

O  man,  keep  thyself  from  secret  faults,  for  the  trum- 
pets shall  blazon  them  forth  in  the  last  day ;  they  shall  be 
written  as  in  flame  across  the  heavens.  The  fiends  shall 
deride  thee  for  them,  the  angels  shall  weep. 

Third,  a  Reprobate 's  Lazigh.  Not  long  ago  I  heard 
the  merry  laughter  of  a  girl  and  looked  that  way.  A 
carriage  was  passing  by.  Through  the  open  window  I 
saw  two  women,  the  one  old,  haggard,  bedizened — it  was 
easy  to  discern  her  vocation — the  other  a  sweet-faced 
girl  late  from  some  country  home,  going  garlanded  to 
death.     God  help  her  ! 

How  dare  they  laugh  who  are  hurrying  on  unprepared 
to  the  judgment  bar  ?     Yet  they  are  making  merry  every- 


78  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

where.  The  dice  are  rattling  in  the  upper  rooms,  the 
revellers  are  staggering  along  the  streets,  the  ungodly  are 
making  their  merry  quips  — it  is  enough  to  break  an 
angel's  heart  to  hear  it.  An  asylum  is  afire ;  a  wretched 
creature  sits  aloft  watching  the  blazing  rafters,  wringing 
his  hands  and  shrieking  with  laughter — it  is  the  merriest 
moment  of  his  life ;  the  walls  sway,  creak,  fall  in  a  mass 
of  flaming  ruins !  It  is  a  parable  of  the  false  revelry  of 
the  wicked.  O  men  and  women,  let  us  be  safe  and  then 
be  merry.  Let  us  never  laugh  again  until  our  peace  is 
made  with  God. 

Fourth,  a  Christians  Groan.  We  profess  to  believe 
that  the  past  is  forgiven,  all  gone  like  a  nightmare,  and 
that  heaven  is  open  before  us  and  that  Christ  walks  with 
us,  an  ever-present  and  helpful  friend.  If  a  man  believes 
these  things,  how  can  he  ever  hang  his  head  like  a  bul- 
rush ?  Surely  something  is  wrong.  If  his  sins  are  for- 
given, if  glory  is  sure,  he  ought  to  be  singing,  "  Praise 
God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow."  He  ought,  like  the 
cripple  at  the  Beautiful  Gate  of  the  Temple,  whom 
Peter  healed,  to  be  "  walking  and  leaping  and  praising 
God." 

One  night  in  Newgate  prison  a  man  sang  cheerily  and 
swung  like  a  boy  on  the  post  of  his  bed.  "  Fine  shining 
shall  we  have  to-morrow !"  Who  is  this  and  what 
"  shining "  shall  there  be?  This  is  John  Bradford,  and 
to-morrow  he  is  to  die  at  the  stake.  But  what  matter,  if 
the  day  after  to-morrow  he  shall  be  in  the  midst  of  the 
merry-making  of  heaven  ?  Why  shall  he  not  with  glad- 
some heart  be  praising  God  ? 

The  joy  of  the  Christian  should  be  as  the  joy  of  the 
spring-time,  as  the  song  of  the  vintage,  as  the  rejoicing 
over  treasure  found,  as  the  shouting:  of  those  who  divide 


Seven  wonders.  79 

the  spoil.  The  world  knows  full  well  that  if  we  are  sin- 
cere in  our  profession  of  belief  we  cannot  but  be  light- 
hearted.  Our  God  hath  girded  us  with  gladness,  he  hath 
compassed  us  about  with  songs. 

Fifth,  a  Tattered  Livery.  Our  Lord  tells  of  a  marriage 
feast  whereat  a  certain  one  was  found  who  had  not  on 
the  wedding  gown.  His  host  remonstrated  with  him, 
"  Friend,  how  earnest  thou  in  hither  in  this  garb?"  And 
the  man  was  silent.  We  are  going  to  the  Marriage  Sup- 
per of  the  Lamb.  Our  heavenly  Host  has  provided  for  us 
fine  linen,  clean  and  white,  which  is  the  righteousness  of 
the  saints;  as  it  is  written,  "Come  now,  let  us  reason 
together,  saith  the  Lord :  though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet 
they  shall  be  as  snow ;  though  they  be  red  like  crimson, 
they  shall  be  as  wool."  To  appear  in  that  heavenly 
presence  clad  in  our  own  righteousness  is  to  be  found 
arrayed  in  rags  and  tatters,  for  all  our  righteousnesses  are 
as  filthy  rags. 

Oh  how  preposterous  to  suppose  that  our  poor  virtues 
should  entitle  us  to  recognition  at  the  heavenly  court ! 
To  think  of  God  bartering  the  incalculable  riches  of 
eternal  life  for  our  poor  invoice  of  good  works  !  Unclothe 
yourself,  O  friend,  and  be  clothed  upon  with  the  imputed 
virtue  of  the  crucified  Redeemer. 

Nor  are  all  the  self-righteous  outside  the  charmed 
circle  of  the  Christian  Church.  To  trust  in  the  virtue  of 
devotional  pomp  and  ceremonial,  of  baptismal  water  or 
sacramental  elements,  is  to  prepare  for  ourselves  an  eternal 
disappointment.  "  To  the  angel  of  the  Church  of  the  Lao- 
diceans  write :  Thou  sayest,  I  am  rich  and  increased  with 
goods,  and  have  need  of  nothing ;  and  knowest  not  that 
thou  art  wretched  and  miserable  and  poor  and  blind  and 
naked :  I  counsel  thee  to  buy  of  me  gold  tried  in  the  fire, 


80  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

that  thou  mayest  be  rich ;  and  white  raiment,  that  thou 
mayest  be  clothed  and  that  the  shame  of  thy  nakedness 
do  not  appear;  and  anoint  thine  eyes  with  eye-salve,  that 
thou  mayest  see." 

"Jesus,  Thy  blood  and  righteousness 
My  beauty  are,  my  glorious  dress  ; 
'Midst  flaming  worlds,  in  these  arrayed, 
With  joy  shall  I  lift  up  my  head." 

Sixth,  an  Averted  Face.  A  few  days  ago,  at  a  hanging 
in  a  neighboring  State,  it  is  said  that  twenty  thousand  peo- 
ple left  town  and  tramped  four  miles  along  a  country  road 
to  see  a  poor  wretch  swung  from  the  gallows-tree.  There 
is,  indeed,  something  brutal  in  our  human  nature.  When 
our  Lord  Jesus  was  dying  on  the  accursed  tree  it  is  writ- 
ten. "  The  people  stood  beholding."  He  was  bearing 
their  sins  in  his  own  body  yonder,  the  iron  of  retributive 
justice  had  entered  his  soul,  he  was  being  wounded  for 
their  transgressions  and  bruised  for  their  iniquities,  that 
by  his  stripes  they  might  be  healed,  and  they  stood  with 
cold  eyes  "  beholding."  Ay,  there  is  something  brutal  in 
our  human  nature. 

Is  it  strange  that  men  should  look  on  anguish  with  a 
calm  delight?  Was  it  strange  that  men  could  look  at 
Jesus  dying  and  feel  no  responsive  thrill  of  sympathy? 
Ah !  a  thousand  times  stranger  is  it  that  some  of  us 
should  refuse  to  look  upon  him !  We  hide,  as  it  were, 
our  faces  from  him ;  he  is  despised  and  we  esteem  him 
not. 

He  came  to  die  for  us,  he  came  to  set  an  example  of 
ideal  manhood,  of  perfect  character.  He  came  to  offer 
us  a  helping  hand  for  the  lifting  of  life's  burdens,  the  en- 
during of  the  ills  which  human  flesh  is  heir  to,  but  we 


SEVEN   WONDERS.  8 1 

turn  away  our  faces  from  him.  He  is  here  now,  as  if 
we  could  behold  him  clad  in  garments  like  the  sun  and 
offering  all  the  treasures  of  eternal  life  for  the  taking. 
O  poor  blind  eyes  of  ours  that  cannot  see  him  !  O  stu- 
pid hearts,  O  palsied  wills,  that  will  not  behold  him  ! 

Seventh,  a  Waiting  God.  "  Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door 
and  knock.  If  any  man  will  open  unto  me,  I  will  come 
in  and  sup  with  him  and  he  with  me."  Wonderful  pa- 
tience !  Love  that  passeth  knowledge !  His  arms  are 
loaded  with  the  dainties  of  the  kingdom,  apples  and 
pomegranates  from  the  King's  gardens,  and  bread  of  life. 
Oh  let  us  draw  the  bolts  that  he  may  come  in  and  sup 
with  us ! 

"  Knocking,  knocking,  who  is  there? 
Waiting,  waiting,  oh  how  fair! 
'Tis  a  Pilgrim,  strange  and  kingly, 

Never  such  was  seen  before. 
Ah,  my  soul,  for  such  a  wonder 

Wilt  thou  not  undo  the  door?" 

He  hath  not  dealt  with  us  after  our  sins  nor  rewarded 
us  according  to  our  iniquities.  If  he  had,  we  should  not 
be  here.  Were  he  to  do  so,  the  next  thunder-bolt  from 
heaven  would  seal  our  doom.  We  have  kept  him  out- 
side our  closed  hearts,  lo,  these  many  years,  and  still  he 
waits.  When  we  were  children  the  dear  mother  told  us 
the  sweet  story  of  the  Saviour's  love  and  bade  us  prom- 
ise to  love  Him.  Years  passed,  and  the  sermon  from  the 
village  pulpit  may  have  touched  us  and  half  moved  us 
to  resolution.  We  said,  "  To-morrow  I  will  surrender  to 
him."  The  years  passed,  and  some  of  us  are  bent  and 
gray  and  our  hearts  are  hard  and  our  wills  are  stubborn, 
and  still  he  stands  without  the  door — a  sight  to  fill  won- 
dering angels  with  awe  and  pity. 

6 


82 

"  Knocking,  knocking — what,  still  there? 
Waiting,  waiting,  grand  and  fair ; 
Yes,  the  pierced  hand  still  knocketh, 

And  beneath  the  crowned  hair 
Beam  the  patient  eyes  so  tender 

Of  thy  Saviour  waiting  there." 

Oh  look  upon  him,  the  chiefest  among  ten  thousand 
and  altogether  lovely  !  All  heaven  is  aglow  with  the 
splendor  of  his  face.  Hear  him  say,  "  Open,  and  I  will 
come  in!"  Why  not  this  hour?  Why  not  draw  the 
bolts  and  say,  "  Come  in,  thou  Blessed  One,  come  in 
and  sup  with  me !" 


A   WORLDLY   WISEMAN.  83 

SOLOMON;  OR,  A  WORLDLY  WISEMAN 
AT  HIS  BEST. 


"The  words  of  the  preacher,  the  son  of  David,  king  in  Jerusalem. 
Vanity  of  vanities,  saith  the  preacher,  vanity  of  vanities ;  all 
is  vanity." — Eccl.  1:1,  2. 

In  the  last  year  of  David's  reign  a  band  of  conspira- 
tors met  together  in  the  gardens  of  En-rogel.  Their 
design  was  to  frustrate  the  king's  plans  as  to  the  succes- 
sion by  placing  his  elder  son,  the  wicked  Adonijah,  on  the 
throne.  It  was  presumed  that  David  was  too  old  and 
feeble  to  oppose  them.  But  they  reckoned  without  their 
host.  The  plot  having  been  revealed  to  him,  his  languid 
energies  revived  like  fire  from  the  ashes,  and  David 
was  himself  again.  "As  the  Lord  liveth,"  said  he,  "  Solo- 
mon shall  reign  after  me."  At  his  command  the  young 
prince  was  mounted  upon  the  royal  mule  and  sent  to  the 
Fountain  Gihon,  escorted  by  a  stately  retinue,  to  be  for- 
mally inaugurated.  The  sacred  oil  was  poured  upon  his 
bushy  locks,  the  trumpet  gave  the  signal,  and  the  people 
with  one  accord  cried  out,  "  God  save  King  Solomon !" 
In  their  festivities  at  En-rogel  the  conspirators  heard  the 
distant  cry;  a  few  moments  later  a  herald  brought  the 
tidings,  "  David  hath  anointed  Solomon."  The  meeting 
was  broken  up  in  confusion  and  the  treasonable  oaths  of 
allegiance  to  Adonijah  were  given  to  the  winds. 

Not  long  afterwards  the  youthful  king  was  summoned 
to  the  death- bed  of  his  father.  The  last  words  of  David 
were  worthy  of  him :  "  My  son,  know  thou  the  God  of 


84  "THE    MORNING   COMETH." 

thy  father  and  serve  him  with  a  perfect  heart.  If  thou 
seek  him  he  will  be  found  of  thee  ;  but  if  thou  forsake  him 
he  will  cast  thee  off  for  ever.  I  go  the  way  of  all  the 
earth;  be  thou  strong,  therefore,  and  show  thyself  a  man." 
With  these  admonitory  yet  hopeful  words  the  eventful 
reign  of  David  passed  over  into  that  of  Solomon. 

And  never  was  sunrise  brighter  than  the  beginning  of 
this  administration,  with  the  promise  of  a  cloudless 
day. 

On  the  high  places  of  Gibeon  the  coronation  ceremo- 
nies were  terminated  by  a  royal  sacrifice.  One  hundred 
and  twenty  thousand  sheep  and  two  and  twenty  thousand 
oxen  were  consumed  upon  the  altars.  After  this  magnifi- 
cent oblation  the  newly  crowned  king  fell  into  a  profound 
sleep,  in  which  the  Lord  appeared  to  him,  saying,  "  What 
shall  I  give  thee?"  Important  moment!  Portentous 
offer!  Young,  earnest,  with  life's  splendor  all  before  him, 
how  natural  if  he  should  ask  for  wealth  or  pleasure  or 
glorious  conquest.  But  hear  his  request :  "  O  my  God,  I 
am  but  a  little  child ;  I  know  not  how  to  rule  this  so  great 
people.  I  know  not  how  to  go  out  or  come  in  before 
thee :  give  me  therefore  an  understanding  heart."  Bless- 
ed is  the  man  who  can  say, 

"  I  am  a  scholar,  and  my  God  my  tutor  is, 
Who  from  above 
All  that  want  learning  to  his  school  invites." 

Here  is  the  gracious  promise  :  "  If  any  of  you  lack  wis- 
dom, let  him  ask  of  God,  that  giveth  to  all  men  liberally 
and  upbraideth  not,  and  it  shall  be  given  him." 

As  Solomon  eventually  did  many  foolish  and  wicked 
things,  it  is  important  to  ascertain  the  nature  of  this  wis- 
dom for  which  the  young  monarch  prayed  and  with  which 
he  was  so  preeminently  endowed.     It  was  obviously  not 


A   WORLDLY    WISEMAN.  85 

that  wisdom  which  has  to  do  with  spiritual  things,  the  wis- 
dom which  seeks  the  perfection  of  religious  character  and 
the  attainment  of  eternal  life.  It  would  have  been  well  for 
Solomon,  as  the  sequel  shows,  had  he  sought  this  envia- 
ble gift,  for  he  lived  to  discover  the  truth  so  sadly  uttered 
by  the  despairing  Faust : 

"  I  have  heaped  upon  my  brain 
The  gathered  treasures  of  man's  thought,  in  vain. 
The  tree  of  knowledge  is  not  that  of  life." 

The  wisdom  of  Solomon  was  such  as  would  be  re- 
quired for  the  management  of  governmental  affairs.  It 
was  aptitude  for  liberal  culture,  clearness  of  discernment, 
and  practical  sagacity  for  the  administration  of  his  royal 
office. 

He  was  the  most  learned  scholar  of  his  time,  the  Au- 
gustus of  Jewish  letters.  The  rabbis  have  a  tradition  that 
his  manuscripts  fell  into  the  hands  of  Aristotle,  who  de- 
rived from  them  all  that  is  best  in  his  philosophy.  Be  that 
as  it  may,  he  was  the  patron  of  learning.  He  "  built  an 
house  of  wisdom  on  seven  pillars,"  in  other  words,  a  uni- 
versity. He  himself  was  a  scientist  of  no  mean  reputa- 
tion. He  spake  of  trees,  from  the  wide-spreading  cedar 
to  the  hyssop  that  springeth  from  the  wall.  He  spake  of 
birds  and  beasts  and  creeping  things.  He  wrote  three 
thousand  proverbs,  the  juices  expressed. from  shrewdness 
and  common  sense  so  as  to  be  portable  and  convenient  for 
the  needs  of  common  life.  His  songs  were  a  thousand 
and  five.  He  wrote  an  epithalamium  which  is  rightly 
called  the  Song  of  Songs.  Who  has  ever  written  so 
sweetly  of  the  springtime :  "  My  beloved  spake  and  said 
unto  me,  Rise  up,  my  love,  my  fair  one,  and  come  away. 
For  lo,  the  winter  is  past,  the  rain  is  over  and  gone  ;  the 


86  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

flowers  appear  on  the  earth  ;  the  time  of  the  singing  of 
birds  is  come,  and  the  voice  of  the  turtle  is  heard  in  our 
land ;  the  fig-tree  putteth  forth  her  green  figs,  and  the 
vines  with  the  tender  grape  give  a  good  smell.  Arise,  my 
love,  my  fair  one,  a7id  come  away." 

But  the  wisdom  that  Solomon  most  fervently  craved 
was  such  as  he  required  for  the  governing  of  this  so  great 
people,  and  was  to  discern  judgment,  i.  e.,  for  the  admin- 
istration of  justice.  As  king  of  the  theocracy  he  com- 
bined in  himself  all  the  various  functions  of  the  govern- 
ment, the  legislative,  the  judicial,  and  the  executive.  He 
was  eminent  for  his  skill  in  discovering  the  clew  'of  real 
evidence  in  the  maze  of  conflicting  testimony,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  two  mothers  who  contended  for  the  living 
child.  The  years  of  his  administration  were  character- 
ized by  an  unwonted  peace.  His  people  dwelt  securely, 
every  man  under  his  own  vine  and  fig-tree,  from  Dan 
even  unto  Beersheba.  The  neighboring  tribes  were  either 
allied  in  friendly  intercourse  or  held  in  check  by  a  vigor- 
ous display  of  martial  force.  The  king's  very  name  was 
a  benediction — Shelomoh,  the  peaceful.  For  the  first  time 
in  the  history  of  Israel  an  extensive  commerce  was  car- 
ried on  with  foreign  lands.  Down  at  Ezion-geber  the  ship- 
builders were  at  work.  Fleets  sailed  out  to  Ophir  and 
to  Sheba,  bearing  wine  and  oil  and  barley,  and  returned 
with  ivory,  gold  and  precious  stones,  and  other  commod- 
ities of  those  distant  lands.  This  maritime  traffic,  besides 
extensive  commerce  with  Egypt,  Tyre,  and  the  Valley  of 
the  Euphrates,  was  under  the  control  of  the  king;  he  was 
the  prince  of  merchant  princes  ;  wealth  poured  into  his  ex- 
chequer. He  built  for  himself  a  magnificent  palace — its 
pillars  of  cedar,  its  capitals  of  gold — and  suspended  on 
its  outer  walls  a  thousand  golden  shields.    The  royal  feasts 


A   WORLDLY    WISEMAN.  87 

were  superb.  The  drinking- vessels  were  of  gold ;  none 
was  of  silver,  because  silver  was  nothing  thought  of  in  the 
days  of  Shelomoh.  The  daily  allowance  of  the  royal 
household  was  one  hundred  sheep  and  thirty  oxen,  with 
harts  and  fallow  deer  and  fatted  fowl.  The  king's  gar- 
dens were  called  paradises.  His  stables  were  furnished 
with  four  thousand  stalls.  It  is  difficult  in  these  days  of 
republican  simplicity  to  form  a  just  conception  of  such  a 
royal  establishment.  But  grander  than  all  this  gorgeous 
array  was  the  king  himself  when  he  appeared  in  the  cha- 
riot of  state,  bright  and  ruddy,  stalwart,  sceptre  in  hand, 
sword  upon  thigh,  guards  around,  archers  following  after, 
robes  perfumed  with  myrrh  and  aloes,  flowing  hair  pow- 
dered with  dust  of  gold.  Such  was  the  personage  in 
whom  our  Lord  himself  found  the  idea  of  regal  splen- 
dor, "Solomon  in  all  his  glory." 

But  the  picture  has  a  dark  side.  It  is  said  that  in  the 
staff  on  which  this  ruler  leaned  was  a  worm  which  ever 
slowly  gnawed  it  asunder.  One  sin  stands  out  black  and 
forbidding  against  the  dazzling  background  of  Solomon's 
splendor :  it  is  his  profound  and  all-pervading  selfishness. 
He  ruled  for  his  own  glory.  His  rare  endowment  was 
expended  on  mere  mental  and  physical  enjoyment,  while 
the  divine  Giver  was  ignored.  His  commerce  stretched 
forth  its  Briarean  hands  and  gathered  the  world's  treasure 
into  his  own  insatiable  grasp.  His  wealth  was  used  with 
a  prodigality  never  equalled,  not  for  the  development  of 
the  natural  resources  of  the  kingdom,  but  to  gratify  his 
own  voluptuous  tastes.  In  his  harem  were  seven  hundred 
wives  and  three  hundred  concubines ;  and  these  seduced 
him  to  the  worship  of  false  gods.  At  his  command  shrines 
were  built  in  the  imperial  gardens  to  the  honor  of  idols, 
impure,  bloody,  and  altogether  abominable.    How  are  the 


88  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

mighty  fallen !  and  how  is  the  fine  gold  dimmed  !  "  O 
Solomon,"  cries  Bishop  Hall,  "  where  was  thy  wisdom 
while  thy  vain  affections  were  running  away  with  thee  into 
such  vile  voluptuousness?  The  perfection  of  sagacity 
does  not  argue  the  inward  power  of  self-government. 
Thine  eye  may  be  clear  but  thy  hand  palsied."  And 
then  he  adds  in  his  own  quaint  way,  "  How  many  a  man 
have  I  known  whose  head  was  thus  broken  with  his  own 
rib!" 

There  is  nothing  sadder  in  history  than  the  story  of 
this  wise  man's  fall — Solomon  so  gloriously  endowed,  so 
splendidly  equipped,  and  going  down  to  his  grave  with 
11  Fool "  written  across  his  brow.  We  have  seen  Adam 
hiding  his  shame  among  the  trees  in  the  garden,  Noah 
drunken  and  uncovered  at  noonday,  Samson  blind,  bound 
with  brazen  fetters,  grinding  at  the  mill,  David  playing 
the  idiot  and  scrabbling  on  the  gates  of  Gath  ;  but  we  have 
never  seen  a  more  sad  and  shameful  sight  than  this — Solo- 
mon among  his  concubines,  bowing  his  silvery  locks  be- 
fore the  smoking  altars  of  their  idol  gods  ! 

"So  fallen!  so  lost!  the  light  withdrawn 
Which  once  he  wore  ! 
The  glory  from  his  gray  hairs  gone 
For  evermore  ! 

"Of  all  we  loved  and  honored,  naught 
Save  power  remains — 
A  fallen  angel's  pride  of  thought, 
Still  strong  in  chains. 

"All  else  is  gone;  from  those  great  eyes 
The  soul  has  fled ; 
When  faith  is  lost,  when  honor  dies, 
The  man  is  dead  ! 


A   WORLDLY   WISEMAN.  89 

"Then  pay  the  reverence  of  old  days 
To  his  dead  fame ; 
Walk  backward,  with  averted  gaze, 
And  hide  the  shame  !" 

May  we  not  gather  up  some  valuable  flotsam  and  jet- 
sam from  this  lamentable  wreck  ? 

First,  the  folly  of  self-dependence.  Let  him  that 
thinketh  he  standeth  take  heed  lest  he  fall.  Solomon 
leaned  upon  his  own  strength  and  found  it  a  broken  reed 
that  pierced  his  hand.  Plato  was  accustomed  to  say  that 
the  conclusive  mark  of  manhood  was  self-dependence. 
But  danger  lies  that  way. 

Try  it,  O  man  with  a  burden  of  sorrow  upon  thee ! 
Try  it,  O  brother,  O  friend,  in  thy  conflict  with  an  evil 
habit !  Try  it  and  see  how  thy  strength  is  reduced  to 
utter  weakness.  No,  no,  we  look  unto  the  hills  from 
whence  cometh  our  help.  The  Lord  is  our  strength,  our 
sun,  and  our  salvation.  His  gentleness  shall  make  us 
great. 

Second.  The  folly  of  self-pampering,  or  (shall  we  say  ?) 
of  grand  larceny ;  for  talents  are  trust  funds,  and  to  use 
them  upon  self  is  to  rob  God.  At  the  first  Solomon  real- 
ized this.  He  drained  his  revenues  to  build  a  temple  for 
the  worship  of  Jehovah,  a  marvel  of  architectural  magni- 
ficence. But  as  he  grew  older  and  the  world  took  firmer 
hold  upon  him  he  abandoned  the  holy  house  and  gave  his 
homage  to  self;  his  god  was  his  belly,  his  glory  was  in  his 
shame.  His  downfall  is  a  warning  to  all  such  as,  being 
equipped  for  holy  service,  do  yet  prefer,  as  Lord  Bacon 
says,  "goodness  personal  and  practical  rather  than  sem- 
inal and  generative."  The  word  of  the  Master  with  respect 
to  our  talents  is  this :  "  Trade  ye  herewith  till  I  come." 
And  his  blessing  is  upon  those  who  at  the  last  can  say, 


90  "  THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

"  Lord,  here  is  thy  pound;  it  hath  gained  thee  yet  another 
pound." 

Third.  A  lesson  as  to  pride  of  culture,  or  intellectual 
vertigo — a  dangerous  sort  of  softening  of  the  brain.  It  is 
a  true  saying  that  knowledge  is  power.  It  would  be 
equally  true  to  say  that  knowledge  is  weakness ;  for  all 
depends  upon  our  way  of  using  it.  How  hardly  shall  they 
that  be  learned  be  saved.  It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  pass 
through  the  eye  of  a  needle  than  for  them  that  trust  in 
knowledge  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

The  wisdom  of  the  wisest  philosopher  is,  by  the  side 
of  omniscience,  as  the  spark  of  the  glow-worm  in  the  shi- 
ning of  the  noonday  sun.  Our  extremest  wisdom  is  fool- 
ishness with  God.  It  were  better  to  be  an  idiot  than  to 
presume  upon  our  culture  or  to  oppose  ourselves  by  rea- 
son of  mental  acquirements  against  the  prescriptions  of 
the  all-wise  God. 

What  then  is  wisdom  and  where  is  the  place  of  under- 
standing ?  "lam  the  Way,"  said  Jesus,  "  and  the  Truth 
and  the  Life.  No  man  cometh  unto  the  Father  save  by 
me."  He  is  the  Wisdom  that  standeth  at  the  corner  of  the 
street,  in  his  left  hand  riches  and  in  his  right  length  of  days. 
There  is  nothing  better  than  to  know  God  and  his  Incar- 
nate Word.  For  except  ye  become  as  little  children  ye 
shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  It  is 
pleasant  to  believe  that  Solomon  came  to  himself  in 
his  last  days.  The  rabbis  tell  of  his  public  confession 
before  the  Sanhedrin  and  how  the  king  went  barefoot 
about  the  streets,  like  a  mendicant  friar,  saying,  "  Give 
alms,  give  alms !"  A  better  ground  for  belief  of  his 
after  repentance  is  found  in  the  book  of  Ecclesiastes. 
In  this  monologue  we  have  his  sober  second  thought. 
Experience  is  a  bitter  school,   but  fools  will  learn  in  no 


A   WORLDLY   WISEMAN.  9 1 

other.  Solomon  has  learned  his  lesson,  his  soul  is  now 
escaped  out  of  the  hand  of  the  fowler,  the  snare  is  broken 
and  he  is  delivered.  Thus  he  reviews  the  past :  "  Vanity 
of  vanities,  saith  the  preacher ;  all  is  vanity.  I  looked  on 
all  that  my  hands  had  wrought,  and  behold  all  was  vanity 
and  a  striving  after  wind.  I  said,  Go  to,  I  will  try  thee  with 
mirth ;  therefore  enjoy  pleasure :  and  behold  this  also  is 
vanity.  I  said,  I  will  be  wise,  but  it  was  far  from  me.  I 
applied  my  heart  to  know  and  search  out  wisdom  and  the 
reason  of  things,  and  lo,  this  also  was  vanity  and  vexation 
of  spirit.  Let  us  hear  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter: 
Fear  God  and  keep  his  commandments." 

To  you,  O  young  men  and  women,  for  whom  the 
future  smiles  like  L' Allegro  with  wreathed  hands  and 
tripping  feet,  beckoning  to  a  life  of  pleasure ;  to  you,  men 
and  women  cumbered  with  much  serving,  ambitious  to  be 
rich,  to  be  learned,  to  occupy  the  highest  seats ;  to  you 
all,  fellow-travellers  to  the  eternal  world,  leaving  Kib- 
broth-hattaavah  where  the  graves  of  lust  are,  passing  Van- 
ity Fair  where  all  the  houses  are  card-houses  and  all  the 
visioned  plans  are  only  bubbles  painted  with  rainbows ; 
to  you,  O  sons  and  daughters  of  the  living  God,  divine  in 
birth  and  destiny,  come  the  last  words  of  Solomon,  "  Let 
us  hear  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter  :  Fear  God  and 
keep  his  commandments,  for  this  is  the  whole  duty  of  man." 


92  "THE   MORNING    COMETH.' 


ASKING  THE  WAY. 


"  The}'  shall  ask  the  way  to  Zion  with  their  faces  thitherward,  say- 
ing, Come,  and  let  us  join  ourselves  to  the  Lord  in  a  perpet- 
ual covenant  that  shall  not  be  forgotten."    Jer.  50:5. 

The  children  of  Israel  had  been  in  exile  nearly  seventy- 
years.  One  generation  had  gone  and  another  had  come. 
Their  memory  of  former  days  in  Palestine  was  as  a  dream. 
They  had  been  told  by  their  fathers  of  the  time  when 
every  one  had  dwelt  in  peace  under  his  own  vine  and  fig- 
tree,  of  that  golden  age  when  the  sceptre  was  wielded 
by  Solomon  in  his  glory,  of  the  flocks  and  herds,  of 
bountiful  harvests  and  songs  of  the  vintage.  They  had 
heard  of  the  temple  so  exceeding  magnifical  and  of  its 
splendid  ritual,  solemn  pageantry,  and  antiphonal  services ; 
of  the  caravans  of  pilgrims,  the  booths  on  the  hill-sides, 
the  smoking  altars,  the  effusion  of  waters  ;  and  they  wept 
when  they  remembered  these  things.  They  were  loyal 
to  their  traditions.  To  this  day,  the  world  over,  the 
Israelites  keep  their  morale  as  they  keep  their  physiogno- 
my. So  their  harps  were  hung  upon  the  willows.  By 
the  Babylonish' rivers  they  renewed  their  vows.  "If  I 
forget  thee,  O  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand  forget  her 
cunning.  If  I  do  not  remember  thee,  let  my  tongue  cleave 
to  the  roof  of  my  mouth,  if  I  prefer  not  Jerusalem  above 
my  chief  joy." 

The  captivity  was  now  drawing  to  a  close.  A  time- 
limit  had  been  set.  For  a  period  of  four  hundred  and 
ninety  years  they  had  disregarded  the  Sabbatical  law ; 


ASKING  THE   WAY.  93 

seventy  Sabbatical  years  neglected — year  for  year  they 
must  expiate  their  sin.  Now  there  were  intimations  that 
deliverance  was  at  hand  and  that  Babylon  was  soon  to 
fall. 

At  this  point  a  question  of  practical  importance  oc- 
curred to  them.     Where  is  the  way  to  Zion  ? 

We  also  are  in  exile,  we  are  of  the  blood  royal,  we 
have  gone  far  from  the  Father's  house.  Our  human  nature 
is  like  a  ruined  temple  in  which  the  echo  of  old  hymns 
and  prayers  still  lingers  and  where  a  spectral  Levite  walks 
and  murmurs  of  a  lost  glory.  Hence  our  longing  to  re- 
turn. All  souls  in  their  lowest  depths  are  troubled  to 
know  the  way  of  everlasting  life.  It  is  this  universal 
consensus  of  aspiration  which  led  Plato  to  speak  of  the 
"  wings  of  our  preexistent  state."  The  homesick  are 
everywhere.  The  prodigal  in  the  far  country  is  ever  di- 
vided betwixt  two,  whether  to  rest  content  in  his  sordid 
surroundings  or  to  say,  with  a  noble  impulse,  "  I  will 
arise  and  go  to  my  Father."  The  world  is  full  of  men 
and  women  who  as  Jesus  passes  by  are  half  moved  to 
throw  themselves  before  him  as  the  young  ruler  did,  cry- 
ing, "  What  shall  I  do  that  I  may  inherit  eternal  life?" 

It  is  our  vocation,  as  ministers  of  the  gospel,  to  point 
out  the  way  to  Zion.  A  grave  responsibility  rests  upon 
us.  Not  long  ago  a  signal  man  swung  a  white  lantern  as 
the  railroad  train  swept  by.  On  it  went  with  impetuous 
speed  until,  on  a  sudden,  there  came  a  shock  like  a  thun- 
der-bolt and  the  train  plunged  down  an  embankment. 
The  cars  were  piled  one  upon  another,  and  oh  the  shriek- 
ing and  praying  then !  Who  shall  depict  the  anguish  of 
that  scene  ?  Its  record  will  be  told  on  grave-stones  and 
in  the  sable  garments  of  the  mourners  who  go  about  the 
streets.     It  was  all  because  of  the  mistaken  signal.     He 


94  "THE   MORNING    COMETH. 

swung  the  white  light  when  it  should  have  been  a  red 
signal  of  danger.  Who  then  is  sufficient  to  stand  in  this 
sacred  place  and  direct  souls  into  the  way  of  spiritual 
life  ?  No  one  of  us  could  dare  do  this  thing  were  it  not 
that  we  have  a  sure  oracle.  We  turn  to  the  Scriptures 
for  our  authority,  and  can  do  it  with  a  clear  conscience 
because  these  Scriptures  are  the  veritable  word  of  God. 
Here  are  promises  and  admonitions  to  direct  us  like  the 
guide-boards  along  the  way  to  the  ancient  cities  of  refuge. 
This  way  to  safety !  This  way  to  deliverance  from  death  ! 
This  way  to  the  kingdom  of  God ! 

At  the  outset  we  are  admonished  in  these  Scriptures 
that  there  is  only  one  way  to  Zion.  It  used  to  be  a  prov- 
erb, "  All  roads  lead  to  Rome."  In  the  centre  of  the  Fo- 
rum was  a  golden  mile-stone,  Milliarium  Aureum,  whereat 
all  thoroughfares  converged.  If  a  traveller  even  in  a  dis- 
tant province  should  ask,  "  Which  way  to  Rome?"  the 
answer  would  be,  "  Keep  on  and  you  will  reach  the  golden 
mile-stone."  There  are  those  who  seem  to  think  that  all 
ways,  in  like  manner,  lead  to  heaven's  gate.  If  you  are 
only  sincere,  keep  on  and  you  will  get  there.  But  alas, 
the  Scriptures  speak  with  a  different  voice:  "  There  is  a 
way  which  seemeth  right  to  a  man,  but  the  end  thereof  is 
death."  All  roads  lead  out  into  the  wilderness  save  one, 
and  that  is  the  King's  highway,  whereof  the  prophets 
spake,  "A  highway  shall  be  there,  and  a  way,  and  it 
shall  be  called  the  way  of  holiness."  Here  went  the 
prophets  and  the  patriarchs :  Enoch  walking  with  God ; 
Abraham  with  a  far-away  look  in  his  eyes,  looking  for  a 
better  country,  even  a  heavenly,  and  for  a  city  that  hath 
foundations,  whose  builder  and  maker  is  God ;  Isaiah  with 
his  eyes  full  of  visions,  singing  as  he  went,  until  he  fell  in 
with  a  company  of  the  ransomed  who  came  to  Zion  with 


ASKING   THE   WAY. 


95 


songs  and  everlasting  joy  upon  their  heads.  This  way- 
went  Polycarp  and  Ignatius  and  all  the  noble  army  of 
martyrs.  There  is  blood  in  their  foot-prints.  Here 
passed  along  our  fathers  and  mothers  whom  we  shall 
presently  meet  in  the  golden  streets. 

The  ages  have  in  no  wise  shortened  the  journey  nor 
improved  the  thoroughfare.  A  railway  has  been  laid 
from  Joppa  to  Jerusalem.  When  Jonah  trudged  that  way 
alone,  in  a  vain  desire  to  escape  from  the  face  of  the  Lord, 
it  was  a  two  days'  journey.  It  required  nearly  as  long 
when  Solomon  rode  in  his  chariot  of  state  to  view  the 
rafts  of  cedar  that  had  been  floated  from  the  north.  Now 
the  journey  is  made  in  two  short  hours.  But  the  King's 
highway  to  the  heavenly  Zion  is  just  as  it  used  to  be. 
Truth  and  righteousness  never  change.  The  flail,  the 
spinning-wheel,  the  stage-coach  have  all  gone  their  way ; 
but  there  are  some  things  which  cannot  change.  The  air 
we  breathe  is  the  same  that  Adam  breathed;  the  sun- 
light is  the  same  that  sifted  through  the  mists  of  primitive 
chaos;  and  water  is  the  same  as  when  Jesus,  being  athirst, 
sat  upon  the  curb  of  Jacob's  well  and  tipped  the  water-jar 
to  his  lips.  The  gospel  is  like  air,  like  sunlight,  like 
spring  water,  the  same  always  and  unchangeable. 

"  We  go  the  way  the  prophets  went, 
The  way  that  leads  from  banishment, 
The  King's  highway  of  holiness." 

First,  the  King's  highway  leads  down  through  the 
valley  of  Bochim,  the  place  of  tears.  In  other  words,  re- 
pentance is  prerequisite  to  an  entrance  into  life. 

I  know  this  is  an  old-fashioned  doctrine.  Time  was 
when  sinners  came  beating  upon  their  breasts. 

"Show  pity,  Lord;  O  Lord,  forgive, 
Let  a  repenting  rebel  live  !" 


go  "THE   MORNING    COMETH. 

But  there  is  a  generation  now,  oh  how  lofty  are  their  eyes 
and  their  eyelids  are  lifted  up !  In  these  days  men  and 
women  come  into  the  kingdom  with  heads  erect  and 
hearts  unbroken.  The  old  hymns  of  godly  contrition 
have  gone  out  of  fashion.  Nevertheless  John  the  Baptist 
is  ever  the  forerunner  of  Jesus,  crying,  Repent  ye!  repent 
ye !  If  the  rent  is  to  be  healed  the  needle  of  the  Law 
must  enter  before  the  thread  of  the  Gospel.  The  heart 
must  be  broken  before  it  can  be  bound  up. 

The  duty  of  repentance  has  behind  it  the  tremendous 
fact  of  sin.  Sin  is  a  dreadful  thing,  just  as  dreadful  now 
as  when  David  cried  for  mercy  or  the  publican  sighed, 
"  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner!"  A  wrong  conception 
of  sin  is  a  mortal  error.  Sin  is  not  a  flaw  in  our  nature, 
not  a  defect,  not  a  misdemeanor.  Sin  is  in  the  nature  of 
lese-majeste\  a  capital  offence  against  a  just,  holy,  and  jeal- 
ous God.     It  surely  ends  in  spiritual  and  eternal  death. 

To  repent  is  to  make  a  frank  acknowledgment  of  sin 
and  to  forsake  it.  Is  there  aught  unreasonable  in  this  ? 
If  I  have  wronged  a  fellow-man  do  I  not  count  it  a  point 
of  honor  to  make  amends  to  him  ?  Shall  we  not  observe 
as  high  a  rule  of  honor  and  manliness  in  our  attitude  to 
God  as  we  do  in  our  human  relationships  ?  If  I  offend 
shall  I  not  make  the  amende  honorable  f  It  is  the  right 
and  manly  thing  to  repent  towards  God. 

Secondly,  the  King's  highway  runs  over  the  hill  of 
Atonement.     It  is  the  royal  way  of  the  Cross. 

The  Law  speaks  on  Calvary.  It  says  to  the  sinner, 
"  The  soul  that  sinneth  it  shall  die."  Nor  is  it  possible  to 
exaggerate  the  dreadfulness  of  that  death.  The  Lord 
spoke  of  it  under  the  figure  of  fire  and  the  undying  worm. 
If  we  abandon  the  literal  meaning  of  these  words  we 
must  not  destroy  the  sharpness  of  their  truth. 


ASKING   THE   WAY.  97 

To  Christ  also  the  law  speaks :  Thou  mayest  expiate 
the  sinner's  guilt.  The  sword  awakes  against  the  Shep- 
herd. The  only-begotten  Son  of  God,  assuming  our 
place  before  the  law,  is  wounded  for  our  transgressions 
and  bruised  for  our  iniquities.  He  dies  that  we  may 
live.  But  between  the  sinner  with  the  death-sentence 
resting  upon  him  and  Christ  suspended  upon  the  shame- 
ful cross  there  is  a  mighty  chasm.  How  can  the  innocent 
suffer  for  the  guilty?  and  what  avails  it  for  the  sinner 
that  Jesus  dies  ?  Over  that  chasm  faith  springs  a  mighty 
arch.  By  divine  appointment  the  exercise  of  faith  on  the 
part  of  the  sinner  is  made  the  sole  condition  of  salvation. 
He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life.  Does 
any  one  object  ?  Who  can  interpose  an  objection  ?  The 
parties  to  this  covenant  of  grace  are  the  Father,  his  only- 
begotten  Son,  and  the  sinner.  If  these  parties  to  the  cov- 
enant all  consent,  who  shall  prevent  the  consummation  of 
this  glorious  Atonement  ?  The  Father  is  willing,  the  Son 
is  willing,  and  if  I,  the  sinner,  am  willing,  the  covenant 
holds  and  I  live. 

Thus  it  is  written :  "  There  is  therefore  now  no  con- 
demnation to  them  which  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  walk 
not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit.  For  the  law  of  the 
Spirit  of  life  in  Jesus  Christ  hath  made  me  free  from  the 
law  of  sin  and  death.  For  what  the  law  could  not  do,  in 
that  it  was  weak  through  the  flesh,  God,  sending  his  own 
Son  in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh  and  for  sin,  condemned 
sin  in  the  flesh.  What  shall  we  then  say  to  these 
things?  If  God  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us  ?  He 
that  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  delivered  him  up  for 
us  all,  how  shall  he  not  also  freely  give  us  all  things? 
For  I  am  persuaded  that  neither  death  nor  life,  nor  an- 
gels nor  principalities  nor  powers,  nor  things  present  nor 

7 


98  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

things  to  come,  nor  height  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  crea- 
ture, shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord." 

Thirdly.  The  King's  highway  runs  thenceforth  across 
the  open  country  to  heaven's  gate.  No  skulking  here ! 
With  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness  and 
with  the  lips  confession  is  made  unto  salvation. 

It  is  sometimes  held  that  religion  is  a  secret  principle 
that  hides  behind  the  lattice,  a  shy  and  modest  thing. 
For  this  there  is  no  warrant  in  Scripture.  The  Lord  did 
lift  up  his  voice  against  the  blowing  of  the  trumpets  in 
giving  alms  and  the  making  of  long  prayers  on  the  cor- 
ners of  the  streets  and  the  broadening  of  the  fringes  and 
phylacteries;  but  he  said  also,  "  Ye  are  the  light  of  the 
world.  A  city  that  is  set  on  a  hill  cannot  be  hid.  Neither 
do  men  light  a  candle  and  put  it  under  a  bushel,  but  on 
a  candlestick ;  and  it  giveth  light  unto  all  that  are  in  the 
house.  Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men  that  they 
may  see  your  good  works  and  glorify  your  Father  which 
is  in  heaven."  There  is  no  reason  anywhere  to  believe 
that  true  piety  dwelling  in  the  human  heart  is  like  that 
maid  in  "Twelfth  Night,"  who 

"never  told  her  love, 
But  let  concealment,  like  a  worm  i'  the  bud, 

Feed  on  her  damask  cheek." 

If  I  have  found  a  Saviour,  and  the  joy  of  the  great  dis- 
covery has  come  into  my  heart,  I  cannot  but  sing  my  ho- 
sannas.  The  power  of  godliness  is  like  ointment  in  the 
hand,  which  ever  bewrayeth  itself. 

This  then  is  the  heavenward  way,  through  the  valley 
of  Bochim,  across  the  hill  of  Atonement,  and  along  the 
open  to  the  kingdom  of  God.     These  are  the  prerequi- 


ASKING  THE   WAY.  99 

sites  of  life,  Repent,  believe,  and  be  baptized,  i.  e.,  give 
an  outward  token  of  your  inward  faith. 

If  any  of  us  are  asking  the  way  to  Zion,  with  face 
turned  thitherward,  the  Lord  now  calls  us.  It  is  a  happy 
journey  and  glory  is  at  its  end.  In  Bunyan's  dream  he 
saw  that  Christian  and  Hopeful,  having  passed  beyond 
the  enchanted  ground  and  the  valley  of  shadows,  came  to 
the  land  of  singing  birds  and  blooming  flowers.  In  the 
far  distance  the  heavenly  city  glowed  in  the  sun  and  at 
length  the  pilgrims  came  to  the  King's  gardens  where 
they  ate  of  the  grapes  and  pomegranates  and  passed  on. 
Then  shining  ones  came  out  to  meet  them  from  the  in- 
numerable company  of  angels  and  just  men  made  perfect, 
and  these  greeted  them,  saying,  "  Blessed  are  ye  that  are 
called  to  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb."  On  they 
went  with  singing  and  trumpets,  nearer  and  nearer  to  the 
Heavenly  City.  And  now  they  were  so  near  they  could 
read  above  its  gates,  "  Blessed  are  they  that  do  his  com- 
mandments, that  they  may  have  right  to  enter  in."  And 
then  the  gates  were  opened  and  voices  said  unto  them, 
"  Enter  into  the  joy  of  your  Lord."  And  the  dreamer 
saw  as  they  passed  in  that  they  were  transfigured.  He 
looked  in  for  a  moment  through  the  gates  and  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  ineffable  glory,  saw  the  heavenly  company 
walking  to  and  fro,  heard  the  singing,  and  then  they  shut 
to  the  gates.  "Which,"  says  the  dreamer,  "when  I  had 
seen,  I  wished  myself  among  them !"  O  friends  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  we  shall  be  presently  among  them ; 
we  shall  behold  the  glory,  mingle  with  the  heavenly 
throng,  have  part  in  the  triumphant  chorus,  and  be  for 
ever  with  the  Lord  ! 


ICO  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 


THE  WORK  OF  THE  COMFORTER. 


"  Nevertheless  I  tell  you  the  truth:  it  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go 
away:  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto 
you  ;  but  if  I  depart,  I  will  send  him  uuto  you.  And  when  he 
is  come  he  will  reprove  the  world  of  sin  and  of  righteousness 
and  of  judgment:  of  sin,  because  they  believed  not  on  me  ;  of 
righteousness,  because  I  go  to  my  Father  and  ye  see  me  no 
more  ;  of  judgment,  because  the  prince  of  this  world  is  judged." 
John  16:7-11. 

In  the  days  of  man's  innocency  he  held  communion 
with  God  as  one  friend  with  another.  They  walked  to- 
gether in  the  garden  "  in  the  cool  of  the  day."  There 
were  strange  confidences,  wonderful  trysts.  We  cannot 
understand  it. 

Then  came  the  fall,  and  with  it  alienation  :  the  two 
friends  parted.  Manifestations  of  God  thereafter  were 
mere  glimpses,  an  occasional  theophany,  the  Angel  of  the 
Covenant  or  a  shadowy  presence  known  only  by  the  rust- 
ling of  his  garments.  The  time  came,  however,  when 
God  bowed  the  heavens  and  came  down  and  dwelt  among 
men.  He  took  flesh  upon  him  and  walked  along  the 
common  thoroughfares  of  life.  We  can  understand  that. 
Men  saw  him,  clasped  hands  with  him,  ate  with  him.  He 
was  their  fellow.  Was  it  not  a  glorious  privilege  to  look 
upon  this  incarnate  God  and  talk  with  him  by  the  way  ? 
Of  all  the  songs  our  children  sing  none  is  sweeter  than 
this: 

"I  think,  when  I  read  that  sweet  story  of  old, 

When  Jesus  was  here  among  men, 
How  he  called  little  children  as  lambs  to  his  fold ; 

I  should  like  to  have  been  with  them  then. 


THE   WORK   OF  THE   COMFORTER.  IOI 

"  I  wish  that  his  hands  had  been  placed  on  my  head, 
That  his  arm  had  been  thrown  around  me, 
And  that  I  might  have  seen  his  kind  look  when  he  said, 
'  Let  the  little  ones  come  unto  me.'" 

I  am  not  sure,  however,  that  ours  is  not  a  far  more  bless- 
ed privilege.  He  has  indeed  vanished  out  of  our  sight  ; 
his  face  is  a  sweet  memory,  a  blissful  hope;  but  his  spir- 
itual presence  is  with  us. 

"  It  is  expedient,"  said  he,  "  that  I  go  away  from  you  ; 
for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not  come ;  but  if 
I  depart,  I  will  send  him  unto  you."  This  Jesus  had  been 
with  them  as  child  and  man  for  thirty  years.  They  had 
heard  his  words  and  were  prepared-  to  say,  "  Never  man 
spake  like  this  man."  They  had  seen  his  works  and  could 
testify,  "  No  man  could  do  these  things  except  God  were 
with  him."  And  what  was  the  result  ?  A  little  group  of 
fishermen  and  other  humble  folk  had  gathered  about 
him.  That  was  all.  To  outward  seeming  his  work  was 
a  fiasco.  His  announced  purpose  was  to  revolutionize 
the  spiritual  structure  of  the  world ;  but  what  an  insignifi- 
cant outcome ! 

Where  was  the  trouble  ?  It  lay  in  the  limitations  of 
the  flesh.  All  bodily  presence  is  weak.  No  man  in  the 
flesh  has  ever  attained  to  universal  conquest  or  ever  will. 
Caesar  ? 

"  Imperial  Caesar,  dead  and  turned  to  clay, 
May  stop  a  hole  to  keep  the  wind  away." 

Alexander?  When  all  was  told  he  lay  dead  under  his 
supper-table.  Napoleon  ?  In  lonely,  friendless  exile  he 
wore  away  his  life.  If  a  man  is  going  to  lift  the  world, 
the  fulcrum  of  his  lever  must  be  set  outside  of  it. 

So  long  as  Jesus  dwelt  among  his  disciples  they  were 
wholly  dependent  upon  his  bodily  presence.     One  night, 


102  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

while  rowing  across  the  Sea  of  Gennesaret,  the  storm  fell 
upon  them  and  they  were  overwhelmed  with  fear.  What 
at  that  moment  was  their  Master's  power  to  them  ?  Yet 
he  was  only  three  miles  away.  Theii  faith  was  so  sensu- 
ous it  reached  only  to  their  finger-tips.  He  must  there- 
fore vanish  out  of  their  sight;  for  their  sake,  for  the 
world's  sake,  he  must  leave  them. 

Lycurgus  who,  about  900  B.  C,  prepared  a  code  of 
laws  for  Sparta,  believing  that  his  personal  presence  was 
a  hindrance  to  the  just  observance  of  that  code,  mys- 
teriously disappeared  and  was  never  seen  or  heard  of. 
In  like  manner,  to  secure  the  legitimate  fruits  of  his  min- 
istry Christ  must  go  away. 

But  when  he  vanished  he  left  behind  him  a  bequest 
which  was  to  be  a  manifold  equivalent  for  every  loss. 
The  Holy  Ghost,  his  last  and  unspeakable  gift,  was  not 
hemmed  in  by  any  environment  of  time  or  space.  To 
this  Omnipresent  Power  the  work  was  now  to  be  trans- 
ferred, and  he  was  to  carry  it  on  unto  "  the  restitution  of 
all  things."  The  followers  of  Jesus  would  indeed  know 
him  no  more  after  the  flesh,  but  they  would  know  him 
far  more  gloriously  and  effectively  in  the  power  of  this 
Spirit  of  God. 

So  he  went  his  way.  He  bowed  his  weary  shoulders, 
burdened  with  the  world's  sorrows,  and  passed  through 
the  narrow  wicket.  And  what  then  ?  For  a  season  his 
followers  felt  that  all  was  over.  "  I  go  a-fishing,"  said 
Peter;  and  the  others  said,  "  We  also  go  with  thee." 

Then,  after  his  resurrection,  Christ  reappeared  and 
remained  among  his  disciples  forty  days — long  enough  to 
convince  them  that  whereas  he  had  died  he  was  now 
alive  for  evermore — long  enough  to  mark  out  for  them 
the  plan  of  the  campaign.   Then,  having  emphasized  their 


THE   WORK   OF   THE   COMFORTER.  103 

great  commission, "  Go  ye  everywhere  and  preach  the  gos- 
pel," he  breathed  on  them,  saying, "  Receive  ye  the  Holy 
Ghost ;"  and  the  clouds  received  him  out  of  their  sight. 

The  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  thus  conferred  was  only 
an  earnest  of  what  was  to  come.  Ten  days  passed  by ; 
then,  while  they  were  praying  in  the  open  court,  on  a 
sudden  the  sound  of  a  rushing  mighty  wind  was  heard, 
the  flame,  parting  asunder  into  tongues  of  fire,  sat  upon 
each  one  of  them,  and  they  began  to  speak  with  divers 
tongues.  This  advent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  was  signalized 
by  the  conversion  of  three  thousand  in  a  single  day.  His 
power  is  abroad  to-day.  Through  it  the  Father  and  the 
Son  are  working  for  the  regeneration  of  the  world.  To 
be  clothed  with  it  is  to  be  endued  with  extraordinary  en- 
ergy. The  Master  promised,  after  he  had  gone  to  the 
Father,  that  his  disciples,  being  thus  energized,  should 
perform  greater  works  than  his  own.  The  twelve  who 
had  been  unable  to  cast  out  an  unclean  spirit  unless  their 
Lord  stood  by,  and  who,  struck  with  terror,  had  forsaken 
him  in  the  supreme  moment  of  his  agony,  now  went 
everywhere  with  holy  zeal  and  courage  proclaiming  the 
gospel.  Souls  were  converted  by  tens  of  thousands. 
The  foundations  of  the  ultimate  conquest  were  laid,  the 
strategic  points  were  occupied.  As  time  passed  the 
power  was  transferred  to  other  hands ;  but  the  Holy 
Spirit  wrought  through  all. 

We  are  living  in  this  Dispensation  of  the  Spirit.  It  is 
the  golden  age  of  privilege  and  opportunity.  Any  one 
who  desires  may  have  part  in  it.  The  measure  of  power 
is  willingness.  The  harvest  is  plenteous,  the  fields  are 
yellow.     Go,  thrust  in  a  sickle  and  reap  ! 

But  the  vast  multitudes  care  nothing  for  this  power  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.    They  are  of  the  earth,  earthy.    They 


104  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

have  low  conceptions  of  spiritual  truth.  It  is  as  if  they 
were  hypnotized.  They  can  see  coins,  wreaths,  stone 
houses,  monuments — but  they  are  blind  to  the  welfare  of 
the  world,  to  eternity  and  God.  Gibbon  says  that  the 
Germans  who  dwelt  along  the  Rhine  and  Danube  had  no 
idea  of  values.  They  cared  more  for  earthen  vessels 
than  for  silver  vases  and  traded  amber  for  toys  and  trink- 
ets. Spiritual  things  are  spiritually  discerned.  Until  our 
misapprehensions  of  the  great  verities  are  corrected  we 
shall  always  prefer  a  transient  and  material  success  to 
those  eternal  achievements  of  men  baptized  from  on  high 
and  made  partners  in  the  transcendent  work  of  the  Spirit 
of  God. 

Let  us  dwell  more  specifically  upon  this  function  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  in  correcting  our  misapprehensions  of 
spiritual  truth.  This  function  is  threefold:  "When  the 
Comforter  is  come  he  will  convict  the  world  in  respect  of 
sin  and  of  righteousness  and  of  judgment  to  come." 

First,  of  sin,  "because  they  believe  not  on  me." 

How  little  we  know  about  the  true  character  of  sin. 
We  see  its  outward  tokens  in  wars  and  excesses,  in  vices 
and  dishonesties.  The  newspapers  are  full  of  them. 
They  thrust  themselves  upon  our  notice  as  we  pass  along 
the  streets.  But  these  are  mere  symptoms.  These  are 
not  sin,  but  eruptions  of  sin.  And  when  we  try  to  cure 
them  with  chains  and  prisons  and  scaffold- trees  we  are 
merely  doctoring  the  symptoms.  The  malady  itself  lies 
deeper  down. 

What  is  sin  ?  //  is  enmity  against  God.  Its  supreme 
manifestation  is  not  theft  or  adultery  or  murder,  but  the 
rejection  of  God's  well-beloved  Son.  "  This  is  the  con- 
demnation, that  men  love  darkness  better  than  light." 
They  will  not  have   Messiah  to  rule  over  them.     This  is 


THE  WORK   OF   THE   COMFORTER.  105 

the  head  and  front  of  all  offending.  This  is  the  un- 
pardonable sin. 

The  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  to  convict  the  world 
of  sin  by  showing  Christ  rejected.  On  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, when  Peter,  with  the  lambent  flame  of  the  Spirit 
upon  his  forehead,  stood  up  in  the  midst  to  preach  the 
gospel,  he  told  the  multitude  of  the  dreadful  thing  which 
they  had  done :  "  Ye  have  taken  Jesus  and  with  wicked 
hands  have  crucified  him !"  They  were  made  to  see 
their  hands  red  with  their  Messiah's  blood.  Then,  smit- 
ten with  sudden  anguish,  they  cried  out,  "  What  shall 
we  do  ?" 

No  man  knows  the  character  of  sin  until  he  has  felt 
himself  guilty  of  the  great  tragedy. 

"  T  was  I  that  shed  that  sacred  blood, 
I  nailed  Him  to  the  tree." 

To  reject  Christ  in  the  clear  light  of  this  gospel  age  is  to 
crucify  him  afresh.  It  is  the  work  of  the  mighty  Revela- 
tor  to  lay  his  hand  on  our  blind  eyes  that  this  awful  truth 
may  flash  upon  us. 

Second,  He  convicts  the  world  of  righteozisness,  "  be- 
cause I  go  to  my  Father  and  ye  see  me  no  more." 

What  is  righteousness  ?  Here  again  our  apprehen- 
sion is  perverted.  The  nearest  approach  to  righteous- 
ness with  which  the  natural  heart  is  familiar  is  morality 
or  external  presentableness.  It  is  this  of  which  Isaiah 
says,  "All  our  righteousnesses  are  as  filthy  rags."  Take 
the  best  man  you  ever  knew  and  uncover  his  deepest 
heart,  and  lo,  it  is  a  foul  nest  of  unsuspected  things.  Our 
personal  merit  is  as  rags,  tattered,  torn,  mildewed,  moth- 
eaten,  defiled,  and  falling  asunder  in  rotten  shreds. 

Another  form   of  righteousness   with  which   we   are 


106"  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

acquainted  is  an  outward  compliance  with  ceremonial 
law — the  form  of  godliness  without  the  power  thereof. 
The  poet  Shelley  says  that  his  father  was  wont  to  say, 

"At  church  on  Sunday  to  attend 
Will  serve  to  keep  the  world  your  friend." 

There  may  be  truth  in  this,  but  it  surely  cannot  com- 
mend us  to  a  holy  God.  He  tells  us  that  many  will 
knock  at  his  gate  crying,  Lord  !  Lord !  but  shall  not  be 
able  to  enter  in. 

The  Spirit  corrects  these  false  and  superficial  views  of 
righteousness  by  pointing  to  Christ  glorified.  He  has 
ascended  up  on  high  to  give  gifts  unto  men.  His  best 
gift  is  righteousness.  He  from  his  exalted  throne  ad- 
ministers justification  in  the  pardon  of  sin.  And  he 
imputes  his  own  merit  also  to  such  as  are  willing  to 
receive  it.  This  is  real  righteousness,  that  "  fine  linen," 
clean  and  white,  which  is  the  righteousness  of  the  saints. 

Third,  he  reproves  the  world  of  judgment,  "  because 
the  prince  of  this  world  is  judged." 

"  The  prince  of  this  world,"  he  says,  "  is  judged,"  net 
will  be.  This  judgment  is  now  going  on.  We  are  in  the 
midst  of  the  great  controversy.  Light  and  Darkness  are 
met  at  Armageddon.  It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that 
all  judgment  is  waiting  for  the  blast  of  the  trumpet.  The 
trumpet-blast  will  mark  the  close  of  earthly  judgment  and 
the  consummation  of  all  things. 

At  the  time  when  the  seventy  returned  to  Jesus,  re- 
porting that  they  had  been  able  to  heal  diseases  and  do 
all  manner  of  wonderful  works  in  his  name,  he  said — as  if 
this  working  of  wonders  were  but  a  mere  episode  in  the 
great  struggle — as  if  all  along  he  had  known  the  end  from 
the  beginning — "  I  saw  Satan  fall  from  heaven."     In  that 


THE   WORK   OF   THE   COMFORTER.  107 

glance  of  his  all  history  was  projected  upon  the  canvas 
before  him.  He  had  set  out  upon  a  work  of  universal 
conquest,  and  all  the  gates  of  hell  could  not  prevail 
against  him.  The  victory  was  sure.  He  heard  already 
the  rattling  of  the  chains  of  the  red  dragon  as  he  was 
hurled  into  the  smoking  pit. 

The  history  of  these  nineteen  centuries  is  a  continuous 
story  of  the  overthrow  of  evil.  The  world  was  never  so 
far  advanced  in  truth  and  righteousness  as  it  is  this  day. 
Everything  is  going  right !  Oh  that  our  eyes,  like  those 
of  the  Master,  might  see  how  truth  is  ever  uppermost,  how 
Satan  falls  from  heaven  !  The  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
makes  optimists.  It  opens  the  eyes  of  the  believer  to  be- 
hold the  mountains  full  of  horses  and  chariots.  It  dispels 
doubt  and  cures  hypochondria.  It  attunes  our  hearts  to 
hosannas  and  hallelujahs. 

Thus  the  three  great  facts  in  the  province  of  spiritual 
truth — Sin,  Righteousness,  and  Judgment — are  opened 
up  to  us  by  the  work  of  the  Comforter.  Without  his  aid 
we  cannot  understand  them.  Come,  Holy  Spirit,  come  ! 
Come  as  light  to  illuminate  our  dull  understanding ! 
Come  as  the  morning  dew  to  refresh  our  wearied  ener- 
gies and  give  us  hopeful  and  joyous  views  of  spiritual 
truth  !  Come  as  the  fire  and  enkindle  within  us  new 
zeal  for  holiness,  new  devotion  to  the  kingdom  of  God ! 


108  "THE   MORNING    COMETH.' 


THE  MOTHER  OF  JESUS. 


"  Hail,  thou  that  art  highly  favored  !  the  Lord  is  with  thee.     Blessed 
art  thou  among  women."     Luke  i:2S. 

If  it  be  true  that  the  angels  have  joy  over  the  return 
of  a  wanderer  to  his  Father's  house,  what  a  gala  day  that 
must  have  been  in  heaven  when  one  went  forth  to  an- 
nounce that  the  fulness  of  time  was  come  for  the  advent 
of  Jesus  Christ;  for  that  portended  the  gathering  in 
of  a  great  multitude.  The  flight  of  the  ambassador  sent 
to  apprise  the  world  of  His  near  approach  was  directed 
not  to  Rome,  Athens,  or  Jerusalem,  but  to  the  most  ill- 
reputed  town  in  a  contemptible  province  ;  and  his  mes- 
sage was  delivered  not  to  any  of  the  great  or  learned,  but 
to  a  maid  of  low  degree.  No  doubt  she  was  startled  by 
his  salutation :  "  Hail,  thou  that  art  highly  favored  !"  and 
it  may  be  easily  seen  why  she  was  "  troubled "  by  the 
announcement  that  followed :  "  Thou  shalt  bring  forth  a 
son  ancl  call  his  name  Jesus." 

The  words  of  this  angel,  familiarly  known  as  the  <cAve 
Maria,"  form  the  first  part  of  the  Prayer  to  the  Virgin 
which  is  made  so  prominent  in  the  liturgy  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  In  the  sixteenth  century  was  added  the 
idolatrous  Ora pro  nobis :  "Holy  Mary,  mother  of  God, 
pray  for  us  sinners,  now  and  in  the  dying  hour !"  No 
portion  of  Scripture  has  been  put  to  baser  uses  than  this 
original  Ave  Maria  ;  yet  none  the  less  is  it  worthy  of  our 
reverential  study,  as  a  prelude  to  the  sweetest  rhapsody 
that  ever  fell  from  an  angel's  lips. 


THE  MOTHER   OF   JESUS.  1 09 

Let  us  take  it  asunder  and  learn  its  lessons  with  re- 
spect to  the  Virgin  Mother. 

I.  The  protevangel  had  said  that  the  serpent's  head 
should  be  bruised  by  the  Seed  of  the  woman.  Three  thou- 
sand years  later  Isaiah  wrote,  "  A  Virgin  shall  conceive 
and  bear  a  son  and  call  his  name  Immanuel."  The  ap- 
pointed time  had  come.  As  by  the  weakness  of  one  wo- 
man sin  had  entered  into  the  world,  so  to  another  was 
granted  the  distinguished  honor  of  bringing  forth  out  of 
her  travail  the  Hope  of  eternal  life.  This  was  not  by  rea- 
son of  any  peculiar  merit  of  her  own.  She  was  not  di- 
vine, not  even  akin  with  angels.  We  have  no  reason  to 
suppose  that  she  was  even  gifted  with  unusual  personal 
charms.  Monks  in  reverie  and  poets  in  rhapsody  have 
vied  with  each  other  in  extolling  her  beauty.  One  of 
them  describes  her  as  "  leaning  out  among  the  jessamines 
in  the  window  of  her  home  and  watching  the  white  clouds 
floating  in  the  azure  sky ;  young  and  beautiful,  not  only 
with  the  voluptuous  necromacy  of  Oriental  grace,  but  with 
those  superior  charms  which  come  from  riches  of  the 
soul,  of  thought  and  fancy  and  emotion,  which  lavish 
themselves  in  a  perfect  symmetry  of  mental  and  physical 
development ;  beautiful  after  the  manner  of  the  Hebrew 
daughters,  in  raven  locks  and  lustrous  eyes  and  the  deep 
glowing  complexion  of  the  East,  and  beautiful  besides 
with  that  radiance  which  is  enkindled  by  the  indwelling 
of  a  peace  that  the  world  knoweth  not  of."  All  this  is 
unsubstantial  as  the  stuff  that  dreams  are  made  of.  Let 
it  suffice  that  she  had  common  part  with  us  in  human  na- 
ture, for  in  this  lies  the  clew  of  the  Incarnation.  When 
the  fulness  of  time  was  come  God  sent  forth  his  Son  made 
of  a  woman.  He  took  not  on  him  the  nature  of  angels,  but 
of  men.     The  Word  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us. 


HO  "THE   MORNING    COMETH. 

"  God  rest  ye  all,  good  Christians ! 
Upon  this  blessed  morn  ; 
The  Lord  of  all  good  Christians 
Was  of  a  woman  born." 

II.  It  is  next  to  be  observed  that  Mary  was  a  sinful 
woman  ;  she  was  "  one  among  women,"  and  not  above 
them ;  being  in  all  points  such  as  we  are,  not  merely  in 
the  constitution  of  her  being,  but  in  its  defilement  also. 
She  had  both  inherited  sin  and  committed  it.  The  so- 
called  Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Virgin  has  not  the 
slightest  warrant  in  reason  or  holy  writ.  It  reads  thus : 
"  That  the  most  blessed  Virgin  Mary,  in  the  first  moment 
of  her  conception,  by  a  special  grace  and  privilege  of 
Almighty  God,  in  virtue  of  the  merits  of  Christ,  was  pre- 
served immaculate  from  all  stain  of  original  sin."  Not  so 
have  we  understood  her  own  words,  "  My  spirit  hath  re- 
joiced in  God  my  Saviour''     That  was  a  sinner's  cry. 

Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning  represents  the  Virgin 
Mother  as  thus  addressing  her  unconscious  child  : 

"  Sleep,  sleep,  my  Holy  One  ! 
My  flesh,  my  Lord  !    What  name  ?    I  do  not  know 
A  name  that  seemeth  not  too  high  or  low, 
Too  far  from  me  or  heaven. 
My  Jesus  !  thai  is  best !  that  word  being  given 
By  the  majestic  angel  whose  command 
Was  softly  as  a  man's  beseeching  said, 
WThen  I  and  all  the  earth  appeared  to  stand 
In  the  great  overflow 

Of  light  celestial  from  his  wings  and  head. 
Sleep!  sleep!  My  Saving  One!" 

The  doctrine  of  the  sinlessness  of  Mary  was  invented  by 
the  schoolmen  in  the  Middle  Ages.  After  a  debate  of  six 
hundred  years  in  which  popes,  cardinals,  holy  fathers  and 
philosophers  took  part,  it  was  at  last  made  an  article  of 


THE   MOTHER   OF   JESUS.  Ill 

faith  by  a  formal  decree  of  Pius  IX.  on  the  8th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1S54.  This  tenet  is  the  corner-stone  of  Mariolatry. 
Its  germ  can  be  traced  as  far  back  as  the  fourth  century ; 
at  that  time  a  new  word  was  coined,  Theoiokos,  meaning 
"  mother  of  God."  By  this  it  was  not  intended  to  assert 
that  Mary  was  in  any  sense  mother  of  the  Uncreated  Es- 
sence, but  the  word  was  liable  to  this  interpretation.  The 
right  of  Mary  to  the  title  Theotokos  was  denied  by  Nesto- 
rius,  who  was  thereupon  condemned  for  heresy  in  the 
Council  of  Ephesus,  A.  D.  431.  His  condemners  marched 
through  the  city  with  torches  and  swinging  censers. 

From  that  moment  we  may  regard  Mariolatry  as  fairly 
under  way.  The  troubadors  celebrated  the  praises  of  Mary 
in  sacred  song,  and  painters  represented  her  as  crowned 
with  a  diadem  of  stars.     The  church  began  to  sing — 

"  Hail,  virginal  mother  !  hail,  temple  divine  ! 
The  glory  of  angels  and  purity's  shrine  ! 
Thee  from  eternity 
God  did  ordain 
Over  his  household 
As  mistress  to  reign  !" 

She  was  honored  with  such  titles  as  Queen  of  Heaven, 
Crown  of  Virginity,  Temple  of  the  living  God,  Paradise 
of  the  Second  Adam,  Dwelling-place  of  the  Trinity,  Loom 
of  the  Incarnation,  and  Sceptre  of  Orthodoxy.  It  was 
declared  that  through  her  alone  the  fallen  creature  was 
raised  to  heaven.  Thus  it  came  to  be  impressed  upon 
the  popular  mind  that  she  was  deserving  not  merely  of 
reverence  but  of  worship. 

This  was  at  the  beginning  of  the  Dark  Ages.  As 
the  inner  life  of  religion  was  quenched  its  outer  forms 
were  multiplied.  The  walls  of  the  churches  were  cov- 
ered with  pictures  of  the  Madonna.     Five  hundred  years 


112  "THE   MORNING    COMETH. 

have  dimmed  but  not  obliterated  the  colors  of  those 
splendid  masterpieces.  On  panel  and  ceiling  and  vault- 
ed chancel  the  Virgin  and  her  Child  are  still  pointed 
out.  The  Christ-Child  is  thrown  into  the  background ; 
the  mother  is  made  conspicuous  and  surpassingly  beauti- 
ful. So  by  progressive  steps  she  came  to  be  looked  on  as 
a  co-redeemer  with  Christ.  Then  from  Rome  was  sent 
forth  an  invitation,  not  yet  called  a  mandate,  that  all 
should  kiss  the  hand  before  the  Queen  of  Heaven.  This 
was  in  the  black  night  before  the  Reformation.  It  was  in 
1 5 17  that  Luther  nailed  his  theses  to  the  door  of  the  town 
hall  at  Wittenberg  and  made  his  protest  against  the  wor- 
ship of  any  but  the  living  God.      All  hail  the  protest ! 

For  a  while  Mary-worship  was  repressed,  but  only  to 
revive  again  in  recent  years  as  a  formal  dogma  or  pronun- 
ciamento  of  the  Catholic  Church.  At  this  hour  there  are 
multitudes  all  over  the  world  bowing  at  the  shrine  of  this 
woman  of  Nazareth  and  crying,  "  Holy  Mary,  mother  of 
God,  pray  for  us  !"  If  she  herself  could  appear  in  the 
midst  of  these  devotees,  of  a  certainty  she  would  cry  out, 
as  the  angel  did  in  the  vision  of  St.  John,  "  See  thou  do 
it  not;  for  I  am  thy  fellow-servant.     Worship  God!" 

"Say  of  me  as  the  Heavenly  said,  '  Thou  art 
The  blessedest  of  women  ' — blessedest, 
Not  holiest  nor  noblest — no  high  name 
Whose  height  misplaced  may  pierce  me  like  a  shame 
When  I  sit  meek  in  heaven." 

In  the  gospel  story  she  is  represented  as  keeping  her- 
self for  the  most  part  in  modest  retirement.  Not  once  do 
we  find  her  laying  claim  to  superhuman  dignity  or  to  any 
exemption  from  the  ills  that  common  flesh  is  heir  to. 

Our  Lord  indeed,  as  if  with  prophetic  reference  to  the 
apotheosis  of  his  mother,  gave  warning  against  it  by  im- 


THE   MOTHER   OF   JESUS.  113 

plication  once  and  again,  as  when  he  rebuked  her  at  the 
marriage  in  Cana  for  unbecoming  pride  and  assumption  of 
authority.  So  at  another  time,  when  a  certain  woman  in 
the  multitude  cried  out,  "  Blessed  is  the  womb  that  bare 
thee !"  he  would  not  allow  even  those  impulsive  words  to 
go  unchallenged,  but  said,  "  Nay  rather,  blessed  are  they 
that  keep  the  word  of  God  !"  She  was  a  sinner  in  need 
of  a  Saviour.  And  her  chiefest  honor  was  not  that  she 
bare  Christ  but  that  she  loved  him. 

III.  But  while  the  Virgin  Mother  is  stripped  of  these 
false  honors  which  she  herself  would  be  the  first  to  repu- 
diate, she  still  challenges  our  highest  admiration.  Why 
should  we  hesitate  to  speak  of  her  as  "blessed  Mary" 
or  "  the  blessed  Virgin,"  when  the  angel  thus  addressed 
her?  It  is  no  slight  honor  that  her  name  should  be 
found  in  the  most  venerable  of  our  creeds  and  mingled 
with  the  soul's  confession  of  a  Saviour:  "I  believe  in 
Jesus  Christ,  who  was  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary."  If  we 
decline  to  worship,  we  do  not  therefore  disesteem  her. 
The  most  beautiful  traits  of  womanhood  are  associated 
with  her  character.  We  revere  her  as  an  ideal  of  femi- 
nine purity  and  devotion.  When  Gabriel  told  her  that 
she  was  to  be  overshadowed  by  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
bring  forth  a  Son,  she  knew  that  her  fair  name  was  in 
danger,  that  the  world  would  point  its  finger  at  her.  She 
knew  that  she  must  wear  the  scarlet  letter  on  her  breast. 
But  she  bowed  her  head  without  a  murmur,  saying, 
"  Behold  the  servant  of  the  Lord."  There  was  hero- 
ism !  It  would  doubtless  have  been  easier  to  die;  yet 
her  faithful  heart  asked  no  question,  interposed  no  argu- 
ment, but  "  set  itself  at  once  to  quiet  expectation."  Bishop 
Hall  says,  "  There  is  no  more  noble  proof  of  faith  than 
thus  to  captivate  all  our  powers  unto  God  and,  without 

8 


114  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

sciscitation,  go  blindfold  whither  He  will."  It  was  enough 
for  her  that  God  required  it :  "  Be  it  unto  me  according 
to  thy  word  !" 

We  must  also  remark  upon  the  simplicity  and  tender- 
ness of  her  affection  towards  Christ.  Of  many  pious 
women  it  is  written  that  "they  loved  much:"  Mary  of 
Bethany  whom  we  always  think  of  as  sitting  at  Jesus' 
feet;  Mary  of  Magdala  who  anointed  him  with  oil  of 
spikenard  very  precious;  and  others  who  followed  Him 
and  loved  Him  through  evil  and  good  report.  Ah,  yes; 
many  daughters  have  done  virtuously,  but  thou,  Mary  of 
Nazareth,  exceliedst  them  all !  Bending  over  her  divine 
Child  in  the  manger,  seeking  him  with  tears  in  the  streets 
of  Jerusalem,  waiting  en  Him  as  a  handmaid  in  the  tasks 
and  journeys  and  sufferings  of  his  ministry,  not  once 
losing  faith  in  his  power  and  Messiahship  though  she 
saw  him  begrimed  with  the  dust  of  the  workshop  and 
stained  with  the  blood  of  Golgotha ;  resignedly  baring 
her  own  breast  to  the  sword  of  anguish  when  his  supreme 
hour  came — was  ever  greater  devotion  than  hers,  a 
purer  love  or  deeper  reverence  for  Christ  ? 

IV.  The  meaning  of  her  name  was  "  bitterness  ;"  but 
as  Marah  was  sweetened  by  the  tree  cast  into  its  waters, 
so  Mary  was  ennobled  and  sanctified  by  her  strange  ma- 
ternity. 

"  O  wondrous  mother,  was  there  ever  joy  like  thine ; 
To  thee  it  came,  that  message  from  the  Highest, 
Such  as  to  woman  ne'er  before  descended  ! 
The  Almighty's  shadowing  wings  thy  soul  o'erspread, 
And  with  thy  life  the  life  of  worlds  was  blended." 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  angel  hailed  her 
as  one  "  highly  favored  !"  or  that  Elizabeth  was  moved  to 
call   her    "blessed  among  women,"   or  that  she   herself 


THE   MOTHER   OF   JESUS.  115 

broke  forth  into  singing,  "  My  soul  doth  magnify  the 
Lord ;  for  He  hath  regarded  the  low  estate  of  His  hand- 
maid!"  What  an  honor  was  this— to  be  the  mother  of 
the  Desire  of  all  Nations — to  be  the  mother  of  Jesus  the 
Christ ! 

But  an  honor  higher  than  this  is  conferred  by  grace  on 
every  true  believer.  On  one  occasion  it  was  reported  to 
Jesus  that  his  mother  and  brethren  stood  without,  desiring 
to  speak  with  him.  "  But  he  answered  and  said,  Who  is 
my  mother  ?  and  who  are  my  brethren  ?  And  he  stretched 
forth  his  hand  towards  his  disciples,  saying,  Behold  my 
mother  and  my  brethren  !  For  whosoever  shall  do  the 
will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  the  same  is  my 
brother  and  sister  and  mother." 

We  then,  beloved,  are  elect  to  a  spiritual  oneness 
with  Jesus  which  is  more  precious  than  the  nearest  kin- 
ship of  flesh.  The  ties  of  nature  are  but  as  green  withes 
in  the  titanic  hands  of  adversity  or  death  ;  but  what  shall 
separate  us  from  the  love  of  God  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord  ?  We  are  one  with  him — "  one  "  is  the  word — 
if  we  have  entered  into  the  fellowship  of  his  toil  and  suf- 
fering and  death.  We  think  too  lightly  of  this  mystical 
union.  We  neither  fully  apprehend  nor  take  advantage 
of  it.  The  King  hath  brought  us  into  his  chambers ;  how 
fair  and  how  pleasant  art  thou,  O  love,  for  delights  !  The 
tie  by  which  Mary  was  united  to  her  Son  is  not  compar- 
able to  this  espousal  of  the  believing  soul  with  Him. 

Let  us  remember  the  words  of  our  Lord  Jesus  when  he 
lifted  up  his  eyes  to  heaven  and  said,  "  Father,  I  pray  for 
these,  that  they  all  may  be  one ;  as  thou  art  in  me  and  I 
in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us :  that  the  love 
wherewith  thou  hast  loved  me  may  be  in  them,  and  I  in 
them."     "  I  in  them  !"— O  friends,  what  manner  of  love  is 


Ii6 

this  !  Blessed  indeed  among  women  was  Mary,  mother 
of  Jesus ;  but  still  more  highly  favored  is  every  believer 
who  has  realized  this  fellowship  with  Him,  who  can  echo 
the  words  of  Bengel  to  his  bride : 

"Jesus  in  heaven, 
Jesus  in  the  heart, 
The  heart  in  heaven, 
Heaven  in  the  heart!" 


A   NEW   YEAR'S   MEDITATION.  117 

COME  IX,  THOU  BLESSED  OF  THE  LORD. 

A  NEW  YEAR'S  MEDITATION. 


"  Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  the  Lord  !"     Gen.  24  :  31. 

At  the  doorway  of  Bethuel's  house  in  Mesopotamia 
stands  a  wayfarer,  weary  and  dust-stained.  He  is  the 
servant  of  an  Oriental  prince.  He  asks  entertainment  for 
himself  and  his  train.  At  a  little  distance  his  camels  are 
kneeling  under  their  burden  of  packs  and  bundles.  The 
daughter  of  the  house  has  just  summoned  her  brother 
Laban,  who  seems  in  doubt  until  his  glance  falls  upon 
the  rich  gifts  which  she  has  received  from  the  stranger — 
ear-rings  and  bracelets,  gratuities  which  were  extraordi- 
nary even  in  those  generous  days.  He  infers  therefrom 
that  the  new-comer  represents  a  master  of  no  mean  im- 
portance. So  right  cheerily  he  says,  "  Come  in,  thou 
blessed  of  the  Lord!    Wherefore  standest  thou  without?" 

This  was  an  eventful  day  for  Bethuel's  house.  Much 
depended  upon  the  entertainment  accorded  to  that 
stranger.  Out  of  his  visit  came  an  alliance  with  the 
princely  lineage  of  Abraham.  The  name  of  Bethuel 
was  thenceforth  to  take  its  place  in  the  history  of  the 
ages. 

So  stands  the  New  Year  at  our  threshold,  laden  with 
treasures,  new  gifts  of  heaven,  hopes,  aspirations,  golden 
purposes,  rings  and  bracelets  for  the  adornment  of  per- 
sonal character.  We  stand  expectant  while  he  unties  his 
pack ;  he  has  great  things  in  store  for  us.     Welcome,  O 


Il8  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

New  Year,  bearer  of  glad  tidings,  ambassador  of  peace, 
herald  of  the  Great  King !  Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  the 
Lord! 

The  air  is  resonant  with  good  wishes.  "  A  happy  New 
Year  !"  It  is  the  children's  greeting.  Lips  tremulous  with 
age  utter  it.  Sick-rooms  are  cheered  by  it.  Pains  are 
forgotten  while  dear  ones  whisper,  "A  happy  New  Year !" 
The  world  is  brighter  for  it. 

But  what  does  this  mean  ?  What  is  happiness  ? 
Varro  made  a  catalogue  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  defi- 
nitions of  it.  The  three  leading  philosophical  schools  in 
Greece  were  represented  by  Plato,  Epicurus,  and  Zeno; 
cf  whom  the  first  said,  "  Happiness  is  to  live  reflectively;" 
the  second,  "  Happiness  is  to  live  cheerily :  let  us  eat, 
drink,  and  be  merry,  for  to-morrow  we  die;"  and  the 
third,  "  Happiness  is  to  live  with  fortitude,  to  accept 
whatever  comes  with  a  brave  heart,  for  whatever  is  to  be, 
will  be." 

In  each  of  these  is  a  modicum  of  truth.  Plato  was 
right  in  saying  that  the  happy  man  lives  thoughtfully. 
Face  the  great  problems  :  if  there  is  a  God,  believe  it ;  if 
death  ends  all,  assure  yourself  of  that;  if  the  Bible  is  true, 
it  is  the  business  of  every  serious  man  to  be  confident  of 
it ;  if  Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  Saviour,  no  man  is  just  to 
himself  who  has  not  accepted  him. 

Epicurus  was  right  in  saying  that  the  happy  man  lives 
cheerily.  We  are  in  a  pleasant  world  with  a  good  God 
over  all.  Rejoice,  therefore,  and  again  I  say  rejoice.  De- 
light thyself  in  the  ways  of  thine  heart  and  in  the  sight 
of  thine  eyes,  but  know  thou  that  for  all  these  things  God 
will  call  thee  into  judgment,  i.  e.,  in  the  midst  of  thy 
pleasure  be  mindful  that  thou  livest  for  ever  and  make 
merry  as  becometh  a  child  of  God. 


A   NEW    YEARS    MEDITATION.  1 1 9 

Zeno  was  right  in  saying  the  happy  man  lives  with 
fortitude.  He  is  superior  to  his  environment— not  indif- 
ferent, but  superior  to  it.  Why  not  ?  If  he  loves  God 
all  things  are  working  together  for  his  good.  If  he  be 
cast  into  a  furnace  of  affliction  heated  seven  times  hotter 
than  ever  before,  he  can  endure  it  because  he  knows  that 
it  is  working  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of 
glory,  and  because  in  the  midst  of  the  flame  there  walks 
with  him  One  like  unto  the  Son  of  God. 

The  three  prerequisites  of  happiness   are  found  in  an 
inscription  on  the  keystone  of  an  ancient  castle.     Who 
was  lord  of  the  castle  no  one  knows. 
11  His  sword  is  rust, 
His  good  steed  dust, 
His  soul  is  with  his  God,  we  trust." 

Here  is  the  device :  a  hand  reached  upward,  as  in  suppli- 
cation, and  over  it  the  legend  "WILL,  GOD,  I  CAN." 
In  that  old  Saxon  legend,  if  it  be  rightly  understood,  lies 
the  secret  of  happiness. 

I.  Will.  The  beginning  of  all  is  choice.  Without 
that  a  man  is  always  a  mere  creature  of  circumstance. 

One  windy  day  a  kite,  flying  aloft,  struggled  to  be 
loosed  from  the  invisible  cord  that  held  it.  A  fleck  of 
cloud  floated  by  and  said,  "Come  with  me;  the  skies  are 
clear  and  this  is  a  merry  life."  The  kite,  struggling  vainly 
to  be  free,  cried,  "  I  cannot ;  I  am  held."  A  ball  of  thistle- 
down whispered  as  it  was  carried  past,  "  Come  with  me ; 
this  is  delight."  The  kite  replied,  "  I  cannot;  I  am  held." 
A  wisp  of  paper  went  whirling  by.  "  Oh  this  is  a  joyous 
life  ;  come  with  me."  "  I  cannot,"  replied  the  kite ;  "  I 
am  held."  We,  beloved,  are  in  the  midst  of  currents  and 
counter-currents,  in  perpetual  danger  of  being  carried 
hither  and  yon  by  capricious  winds.     Oh  blessed  is  the 


120  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

soul  that  is  held ! — held  to  something,  held  by  a  ruling 
purpose.  Blessed  is  the  man  who  goes  not  with  the 
multitude,  but  holds  his  place  while  it  goes  surging 
by. 

Have  you  a  ruling  purpose  ?  Is  your  eye  single  for 
anything?  The  double-minded  man  is  unstable  in  all  his 
ways.  Albert  Bushnell  was  fond  of  saying,  "  Grasp  the 
handle  of  your  being."  Ay,  that  way  lies  success.  Grasp 
it  as  a  man  grasps  the  tiller  of  a  boat.  Hold  it  with  a 
calm,  strong  hand.     Hold  steady  and  all  is  well. 

II.  God.  Alas  for  the  man  that  leaves  God  out  of  his 
reckoning,  for  the  chief  end  of  man  is  to  glorify  Him. 

It  is  necessary  not  only  that  we  should  choose,  but 
that  we  should  choose  the  highest  and  best. 

(i.)  A  man  may  set  out  to  live  for  himself,  to  live  for 
self-culture,  for  the  building  up  of  character.  So  far  as  it 
goes  this  is  well. 

(2.)  A  man  may  live  for  the  good  of  those  around 
him.  And  this  is  better  still.  Sydney  Smith  said,  "  Life 
is  in  two  heaps,  the  one  of  joy,  the  other  of  sorrow.  If  I 
can  on  any  day  take  a  little  from  the  heap  of  sorrow  and 
add  it  to  the  heap  of  joy,  I  reckon  that  a  well-spent  day." 
It  is  indeed  a  blessed  thing  to  serve  the  common  weal,  to 
make  the  lives  of  those  around  us  a  little  brighter  and 
sweeter. 

(3.)  But  the  highest  level  of  life  is  that  whereon  we 
seek  the  divine  glory  ;  for  the  ultimate  of  everything  is 
God.  It  was  said  among  the  ancients,  to  every  one  was 
given  a  choice  of  three  urns.  One  was  a  golden  urn  full 
of  blood,  and  in  it  was  the  single  word  "  Empire."  The 
second  was  of  amber ;  it  was  full  of  ashes,  and  in  it  was  the 
word  "  Glory."  The  third  was  an  urn  of  clay,  and  empty, 
but  in  the  bottom  was  written  "  God."     The  last  was  the 


A   NEW   YEARS   MEDITATION.  121 

best  of  all,  for,  as  they  were  wont  to  say,  one  letter  of  that 
name  outweighs  the  world. 

And  true  happiness  is  impossible  to  the  soul  that  is 
without  God.  If  we  set  out  to  lean  upon  ourselves  we 
shall  find  our  strength  a  broken  reed  that  will  pierce 
through  the  hand.  If  in  time  of  trouble  we  seek  comfort 
from  within,  it  will  be  as  when  a  foolish  man  seeks  to  hide 
in  his  own  shadow.  David  tried  it  and  failed.  Over  and 
over  again  he  failed.  Then  he  cried,  "  I  will  look  unto  the 
hills  from  whence  cometh  my  help  !"  Nor  did  God  ever 
fail  him.  Sometimes  he  was  sorrowful,  but  never  in  de- 
spair. "  Why  art  thou  cast  down,  oh  my  soul,  and  why 
art  thou  disquieted  within  me  ?  Hope  thou  in  God,  for  I 
shall  yet  praise  him,  who  is  the  health  of  my  countenance 
and  my  God." 

III.     I  can.     This  means  resolution. 

Resolution  is  more  than  choice.  Choice  is  a  voli- 
tional act,  but  resolution  is  a  persistent  force.  In  the 
equipment  of  a  soldier  it  is  represented  by  sandals.  "  Put 
ye  on,"  says  the  apostle,  "the  whole  armor  of  God,"  to 
wit,  the  girdle  of  truth,  the  breastplate  of  righteousness, 
the  shield  of  faith,  wherewith  we  shall  be  able  to  quench 
all  the  fiery  darts  of  the  adversary ;  and  take  the  Sword 
of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the  Word  of  God.  Is  that  all  ?  Oh 
no.  See  to  it  that  ye  have  your  feet  shod  with  the  prep- 
aration of  the  gospel  of  peace.  In  those  times  battles 
were  fought  not  with  heavy  artillery. from  distant  hilltops, 
nor  by  sharp-shooters  from  rifle-pits,  but  with  short 
swords,  face  to  face  and  eye  to  eye.  Much  depended  then 
upon  a  man's  footing.  The  spiked  sandals  were  of  the 
utmost  importance.  Put  on  the  sandals,  therefore,  O 
follower  of  Christ,  who  in  the  coming  year  must  confront 
the  adversary  ten  thousand  times.      Put  on  the  sandals 


122  "THE   MORNING    COMETH. 

of  resolution,  that  you  may  be  able  to  withstand  in  the  evil 
day,  and  having  done  all,  to  stand. 

Still  further,  resolution  is  more  than  resolutions.  The 
latter  are  fragmentary  volitions.  On  New  Year's  Eve  a 
multitude  are  wont  to  turn  over  a  new  leaf,  and,  alas,  the 
new  leaf  is  pretty  sure  to  be  like  the  old  one,  blotted  and 
stained  with  short-comings.  But  resolution  is  one  per- 
sistent energy  that  covers  the  twelvemonth.  And  this 
indeed  we  must  have,  for  there  is  no  discharge  in  this  war. 

"  Ne'er  think  the  victory  won, 
Nor  lay  thine  armor  down  ; 
Thine  arduous  work  will  not  be  done 
Till  thou  obtain  thy  crown." 

A  little  while  ago  we  were  watching  for  the  comet. 
Astronomers  were  questioning  whether  it  was  a  fragment 
of  Biela's  or  an  independent  body  on  an  eccentric  orbit  of 
its  own.  Though  the  stars  were  shining  all  the  while 
no  one  heeded  them.  But  while  we  were  watching  and 
questioning,  lo,  the  comet  was  gone — gone,  no  one  knew 
whither.  Then  in  the  blue  heavens  the  stars  still  shone 
on.  There  are  cometary  resolves  that  last  for  a  moment; 
there  are  stellar  purposes  that  endure  for  ever.  It  is  not 
a  thousand  choices,  but  one  resolution  made  in  depend- 
ence upon  divine  strength,  that  wins.  That  was  a  wise 
thing  that  Dr.  Johnson  said  in  his  old  age :  "  I  have 
been  resolving  these  fifty-five  years ;  now  I  take  hold  on 
God." 

I  think  there  must  have  been  an  extraordinary  charm 
in  Jesus' face,  some  magnetism  in  the  glance  of  his  eye — 
else  why  was  it  that  when  he  passed  through  the  gate  and 
said  to  the  publican,  "Arise,  and  follow  me,"  he  was  in- 
stantly obeyed  ?  And  when  he  walked  along  the  seashore 
and   said  to  the  fishermen,   "  Come,  follow  me,"  they  left 


A   NEW   YEAR'S    MEDITATION.  1 23 

their  nets  and  became  his  disciples  ?  Oh  that  he  might 
pass  this  way  and  lift  upon  us  the  light  of  his  countenance 
and  draw  us  with  the  glance  of  his  eye ! 

To  some  he  has  been  speaking,  lo  these  many  years. 
You  have  seen  his  face,  but  you  have  not  heeded  him. 
Now  at  the  opening  of  this  New  Year  he  speaks  again, 
11  Arise,  and  follow  me."  The  beginning  of  the  spiritual 
life  is  in  the  exercise  of  the  will.  All  depends  upon  that 
"  I  will."  But,  alas,  we  wrong  our  wills  again  and  again 
until  they  are  as  helpless  as  a  fakir's  hand.  Time  was 
when  that  hand  lay  white  and  chubby  on  a  mother's 
breast.  Time  was  when  it  was  strong  and  supple.  But 
the  devotee  has  held  it  so  long  in  one  strained  position 
that  the  nails  have  grown  into  the  palm,  the  flesh  has 
shrunken,  the  muscles  are  tense  as  whip-cords,  the  veins 
are  dried  up,  and  the  whole  hand  is  as  helpless  as  a  mum- 
my's hand.  So  is  it  with  your  wills.  I  say,  "  Love 
God."  You  answer,  "  I  cannot."  I  say,  "  Believe  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ."  You  say,  "  I  cannot."  It  is  indeed 
a  desperate  case.  There  is  blessed  encouragement,  how- 
ever, in  the  fact  that  when  God  commands  he  gives  the 
power  to  obey.  Work  out  your  own  salvation,  for  it  is 
God  that  worketh  in  you.  The  Christ  who  says,  "  Arise, 
and  follow  me,"  will  give  you  power  this  moment  to  obey 
him.  But  whether  that  will  ever  be  true  again,  who  shall 
say  ? 

The  battle  of  Waterloo  was  fought  in  a  twenty-acre 
field.  "  Now  "  is  a  little  word  of  only  three  letters,  but 
your  destiny  is  in  it. 

The  old  year  is  behind  us.  To  look  over  our  shoul- 
ders is  to  grow  sad,  but  blessed  be  God,  we  can  forget. 
One  of  God's  chiefest  gifts  is  oblivion  for  our  sins.  He 
will   remember  them   no   more  against   us.      Nor   need 


124  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

we  ourselves  remember  them.  The  Japanese  have  a 
proverb  : 

"  My  sleeve  with  tears  is  always  wet, 
I  have  forgotten  to  forget." 

But  here  is  our  word  touching  the  past :  "  Forgetting 
those  things  which  are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto 
those  things  which  are  before,  I  press  towards  the  mark 
for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." 

The  New  Year  is  before  us.  We  stand,  as  Abraham 
stood  upon  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates,  looking  off 
towards  an  unknown  country.  Our  strength  at  this 
moment  is  in  the  living  God.  "  Oh  carry  us  not  up  hence 
except  thou  go  with  us !"  If  He  be  Guide  and  Counsellor, 
all  will  be  well.  Let  us  set  forth  bravely  as  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh  did  when  he  sang : 

11  Give  me  my  scallop-shell  of  quiet, 
My  staff  of  faith  to  lean  upon  ; 
My  scrip  of  joy,  immortal  diet ; 
My  bottle  of  salvation  ; 
My  gown  of  glory,  hope's  true  gauge; 
And  thus  I  take  my  pilgrimage." 

Let  us  lay  aside  every  weight  and  the  sin  which  doth  so 
easily  beset  us,  and  let  us  run  with  patience  the  race  that 
is  set  before  us,  looking  unto  Jesus,  the  author  and  finisher 
of  our  faith. 

Up  with  your  heart,  O  believer — sursum  corda  I  and 
up  with  your  hand— WILL,  GOD,  and  I  CAN. 

Without  Him  I  can  do  nothing ;  I  can  do  all  things 
through  Christ  which  strengthened!  me. 


THE  TESTIMONY   OF  INFIDELS.  125 

THE  TESTIMONY  OF  INFIDELS 

TO    THE 

TRUTH  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


"  For  their  rock  is  not  as  our  Rock,  even  our  enemies  them- 
selves being  judges."     Deut.  32:31. 

It  is  the  business  of  the  ministry  to  commend  the 
religion  of  Christ.  People  want  to  know  whether  the 
system  of  doctrine  and  ethics  set  forth  in  the  Scriptures 
is  true  or  not.  We  profess  to  believe  that  it  is.  It  is 
our  business  to  prove  it.  This  is  our  case.  If  we  turn 
aside  to  other  considerations  they  are  mere  diversions. 
There  are  various  ways  of  approaching  the  matter  in 
hand. 

First.  We  may  use  the  a  priori  method ;  that  is, 
we  may  take  an  antecedent  probability  and  proceed  to 
verify  it.  If  there  is  a  God  he  would  probably  reveal 
himself  in  a  Book  and  in  a  Life.  The  Bible  meets  the 
requirements  of  the  Book  and  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Life. 

Second.  The  a  posteriori  method ;  that  is,  reasoning 
from  facts  to  conclusions.  For  there  are  certain  facts 
known  and  visible  to  all  men  for  which  it  is  impossible  to 
account  otherwise  than  by  attributing  a  supernatural 
power  to  the  religion  which  centres  in  the  Cross. 

Third.  Our  case  may  be  substantiated  by  external 
evidence.  If  we  open  history  we  discover  that  the  genius 
of  Christianity  has  come  down  through  the  ages  like  the 


126  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

Angel  of  the  Morning,  illuminating  on  every  side  the 
abodes  of  such  as  dwell  in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of 
death.  If  we  open  our  geography  it  is  equally  apparent 
that  the  lands  of  Christendom  are  the  sunlit  portions  of 
the  earth.  In  these,  and  these  only,  the  wildernesses  re- 
joice and  blossom  like  the  rose. 

Fourth.  Internal  evidence  or  personal  experience. 
There  is  no  escaping  the  power  of  this  kind  of  proof. 
"I  know  not,"  said  the  blind  man,  "as  to  the  nature  or 
character  of  this  Jesus,  but  I  do  know  that  whereas  I  was 
blind,  now  I  see."  An  innumerable  company  of  people 
is  prepared  to  testify  as  to  the  power  of  the  religion  of 
Jesus  to  help  in  time  of  trouble,  to  deliver  from  sin,  to 
comfort  and  sustain  in  every  hour  that  trieth  the  soul  of 
a  man. 

Fifth.  In  demonstrating  the  truth  of  Christianity  we 
may  use  the  testimony  of  its  friends.  An  army  of  such 
witnesses  is  ever  marching  past.  Here  are  kings  and 
potentates  from  Constantine  to  Queen  Victoria.  Here 
are  scholars  innumerable,  the  Bacons  and  Newtons  of 
many  centuries.  Here  are  philanthropists  like  Howard 
and  Wilberforce  glad  to  acknowledge  that  in  their  benefi- 
cent work  they  were  merely  following  out  the  precepts  of 
Scripture  and  treading  in  the  footsteps  of  that  Gracious 
One  whose  life  was  told  briefly  in  the  saying,  "  He  went 
about  doing  good." 

Sixth.  There  is  still  another  view-point,  however,  to 
wit,  the  testimony  of  the  enemy.  The  ancients  believed 
that  it  was  wise  to  learn  ab  hoste,  that  is,  from  the  wea- 
pons of  the  adversary. 

"There  's  wit  there  ye  '11  get  there 
Ye  '11  find  nae  ither-where." 

On  the  way  down  to  Timnath  a  lion  sprang  out  upon 


THE   TESTIMONY   OF   INFIDELS.  \2J 

the  strong  man,  and  he  rent  its  jaws  asunder  as  if  it  had 
been  a  kid.  Not  long  after,  going  that  way,  he  found  the 
carcass.  A  swarm  of  bees  was  housed  within  it.  From 
this  incident  came  the  riddle :  "  Out  of  the  eater  came 
forth  meat,  and  out  of  the  strong  came  forth  sweetness." 
All  along  the  thoroughfares  of  history  and  experience  the 
enemy  has  lain  in  wait  for  the  unarmed  and  heedless.  But 
infidelity  has  ever  been  worsted,  and  to-day  we  pluck 
honey  from  between  the  lion's  ribs. 

It  is  our  present  purpose  to  pursue  a  brief  argument 
from  the  concessions  made  by  infidels  and  unbelievers  as 
to  the  divineness  of  Jesus  and  the  power  of  the  religion 
which  has  its  living  centre  in  Him. 

Let  us  begin  at  the  beginning. 

I.  Our  first  witnesses  shall  be  a  group  of  three  who 
were  able  to  testify  from  more  or  less  intimate  acquaint- 
ance with  the  living  Christ. 

(i.)  Pilate.  It  was  he  who  sentenced  Jesus  to  death. 
Yet  at  the  supreme  moment  he  took  water  and  washed 
his  hands  before  the  multitude,  saying,  "  I  am  innocent  of 
the  blood  of  this  just  person."  The  word  rendered  just 
person  is  dikaios,  the  same  used  by  Plato  in  character- 
izing the  ideal  man. 

(2.)  The  Centurion  who  had  charge  of  the  crucifixion 
of  Jesus.  He  was  a  tried  and  trusty  soldier,  accustomed 
to  scenes  of  blood,  but  he  was  profoundly  impressed  with 
the  demeanor  of  Jesus  in  his  agony  on  the  cross.  "  Cer- 
tainly," he  said,  "  this  was  a  righteous  man  !"*  Here  he 
was  a  Unitarian.  As  time  passed,  observing  His  humility, 
His  divine  patience,  His  forgiving  grace,  he  cried,  lifted 
up  above  his  Unitarianism,  "Truly  this  was  the  Son  of 
God !"  He  knew  the  hopes  of  Israel  respecting  the 
*  Dikaios.     Plato's  word  again. 


128  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

coming  of  Messiah,  one  of  whose  distinctive  titles  was 
"the  Son  of  God,"  and  he  was  persuaded  that  those 
hopes  were  realized  in  this  Jesus  whom  they  had  sen- 
tenced to  the  accursed  tree. 

(3.)  Judas.  On  the  morning  of  the  crucifixion  he 
entered  the  hall  Gazith,  the  meeting-place  of  the  Sanhe- 
drin,  and  threw  upon  the  floor  the  silver  coins  that  were 
the  price  of  his  treachery.  It  was  but  last  night  that  he 
coolly  bargained  away  his  Lord ;  now  remorse  has  seized 
upon  him.  The  ring  of  those  red-stained  pieces  of  silver 
has  come  down  through  the  ages  with  the  cry  of  the 
traitor,  "  I  have  betrayed  innocent  blood  !" 

II.  We  now  come  to  the  post-apostolic  period  and 
summon  a  coterie  of  stalwart  enemies  of  Christ. 

(4.)  Josephus,  the  Jewish  historian,  who  wrote  in  the 
first  century  of  the  Christian  era.  In  his  "  Antiquities  "* 
he  says,  "  About  this  time  lived  Jesus,  a  wise  man — if  it  be 
proper  to  call  him  a  man,  for  he  was  a  doer  of  wonderful 
works.  He  was  a  teacher  of  such  men  as  receive  the 
truth.  He  was  called  the  Christ.  And  when  Pilate,  at  the 
instigation  of  our  principal  men,  had  condemned  him  to 
the  cross,  those  who  had  loved  him  did  not  forsake  him. 
And  he  appeared  to  them  alive  again  on  the  third  day, 
the  prophets  of  old  having  foretold  these  and  many  other 
wonderful  things  concerning  him.  And  the  sect  of  Chris- 
tians, so  named  after  him,  is  not  extinct  unto  this  day." 

(5.)  Celsus,  a  Greek  philosopher  of  the  second  cen- 
tury, who  wrote  vigorously  against  the  sect  of  Galileans. 
He  quotes  liberally  from  the  New  Testament  and  con- 
cedes the  genuineness  of  the  miracles  of  Christ,  while 

*  The  question  of  the  authenticity  of  this  passage  is  discussed  at 
length  in  the  Appendix  of  Schaft's  "  Person  of  Christ,"  to  which  credit 
is  due  for  most  of  the  extracts  used  in  this  discourse. 


THE   TESTIMONY   OF   INFIDELS.  1 29 

attributing  them  to  the  influence  of  evil  spirits.  It  is 
noteworthy  at  this  point  that  the  fact  that  miracles  were 
wrought  by  Jesus  was  not  called  in  question  in  those  early 
days.  It  was  admitted,  but  accounted  for  generally  on  the 
ground  that  he  was  a  sorcerer,  or,  as  in  the  Talmud,  that 
he  was  a  master  of  the  magical  arts  of  Egypt.  In  any 
case  it  was  conceded  that  he  wrought  many  wonderful 
works. 

(6.)  Porphyry  of  the  second  century,  a  Neo-platonist,- 
who  wrote  fifteen  volumes  against  Christianity.  -He  says;, 
in  speaking  of  the  oracles,  "  The  goddess  Hecate  hath 
declared  Jesus  to  be  a  most  pious  man,  tuVsoul,  like  the 
souls  of  other  pious  men,  favored  with  immortality  after 
death.  The  Christians  do  mistakenly  worship  him.  And 
when  we  asked  at  the  oracle,  '  Why  then  was  he  con- 
demned?' she  answered,  'The  body  is  liable  to  suffer- 
ing, but  the  soul  of  the  pious  dwells  in  heavenly  mansions.' 
He  hath  indeed  been  the  occasion  of  error  in  leading 
others  away  from  the  acknowledgment  of  the  immortal 
Jove ;  but,  being  himself  pious,  he  is  gone  to  the  dwelling 
of  the  gods." 

(7.)  Julian,  the  Apostate,  emperor  of  the  fourth  cen- 
tury. He  was  a  bitter  enemy  of  Christianity.  He  tried 
to  restore  the  pagan  worship.  He  rebuilt  the  temples  and 
went  in  person  to  sacrifices.  But  the  multitude  had  lost 
confidence  in  the  old  superstitions.  His  failure  to  revive 
the  dying  spark  of  paganism  filled  him  with  anger  and 
bitterness.  He  vented  his  spleen  in  satire  against  Christ 
and  his  followers.  The  story  of  his  death  is  familiar.  In 
a  campaign  against  the  Persians  he  fell,  pierced  with  a 
spear.  Clutching  the  dust  in  his  last  agony,  he  cried, 
"  Galilean,  thou  hast  conquered  !"  He  says,  "  Jesus,  hav- 
ing persuaded  a  few  of  the  baser  sort  of  Galileans  to  attach 

9 


130  "THE   MORNING   COMETH. 

themselves  to  him,  has  now  been  celebrated  about  three 
hundred  years.  He  did  nothing  in  his  lifetime  worthy  of 
fame,  unless  it  be  counted  a  great  work  to  heal  lame  and 
blind  people  and  exorcise  demoniacs."  A  splendid  trib- 
ute, this,  to  the  beneficent  work  of  Jesus  !  For  is  it  not  a 
great  thing  to  heal  lame  and  blind  people  and  cast  out 
evil  spirits  ?  Is  it  not  a  vastly  greater  thing  than  to  rule 
an  empire  as  Julian  did  ? 

III.  We  leap  a  thousand  years  and  come  to  another 
group  of  unbelievers.  We  are  now  in  the  midst  of  influ- 
ences which  are  ultimately  to  provoke  a  social  and  politi- 
cal upheaval  throughout  the  civilized  earth. 

(8.)  Spinoza.  He  is  referred  to  as  the  father  of  mod- 
ern pantheism.  He  did  not  believe  in  the  personality  of 
God,  but  regarded  him  as  an  all-pervading  something 
with  the  attributes  of  extension  and  thought.  As  to  this 
God,  however,  he  says  that  "Jesus  Christ  was  his  temple. 
In  him  God  has  most  fully  revealed  himself."  This  is 
a  faint  echo  of  that  which  is  written,  "  In  the  beginning 
was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God  and  the 
Word  was  God.  And  the  Word  was  made  flesh  and 
dwelt  among  us." 

(9.)  Thomas  Chubb,  a  leader  of  the  modern  deists.  He 
was  a  tallow-chandler  in  his  early  life  and  his  sympathies 
were  with  the  common  people.  Though  he  rejected  the 
divineness  of  the  gospel,  yet  he  was  pleased  to  compli- 
ment it  as  a  religion  for  the  poor.  He  says,  "  In  Christ 
we  have  an  example  of  a  quiet  and  peaceable  spirit,  of  a 
becoming  modesty  and  sobriety — just,  honest,  upright, 
sincere,  and  above  all  of  a  most  gracious  and  benevolent 
temper  and  behavior — one  who  did  no  wrong,  no  injury 
to  any  man,  in  whose  mouth  was  no  guile ;  who  went 
about  doing  good,  not  only  by  his  ministry,  but  also  in 


THE   TESTIMONY   OF   INFIDELS.  131 

curing  all  manner  of  diseases  among  the  people.  His 
life  was  a  beautiful  picture  of  human  nature  in  its  own 
purity  and  simplicity,  and  showed  at  once  what  excellent 
creatures  men  might  be  under  the  influence  of  his  gos- 
pel.', 

IV.  And  now  we  present  three  malignant  spirits,  than 
whom  no  others  in  history  have  probably  exercised  a  more 
disastrous  influence  on  human  thought,  the  master-spirits 
of  the  period  of  the  French  Revolution. 

(10.)  Diderot,  father  of  the  Encyclopedic  which  was 
the  dragon's  egg  of  the  Reign  of  Terror.  In  a  conversa- 
tion with  the  Baron  de  Holbach  he  is  represented  as  say- 
ing, "  For  a  wonder,  gentlemen,  I  know  nobody,  either  in 
France  or  elsewhere,  who  could  write  as  these  Scriptures 
are  written.  This  is  a  Satan  of  a  book.  I  defy  any  one 
to  prepare  a  tale  so  simple,  so  sublime  and  touching,  as 
that  of  the  passion  of  Jesus  Christ." 

(11.)  Jean  Jacques  Rousseau,  brilliant,  erratic,  incon- 
sistent. Here  is  a  remarkable  saying  of  his  :  "  I  will  con- 
fess to  you  that  the  majesty  of  the  Scriptures  strikes  me 
with  admiration,  as  the  purity  of  the  gospel  has  its  influ- 
ence on  my  heart.  Peruse  the  works  of  our  philosophers, 
with  all  their  pomp  of  diction — how  mean,  how  contempti- 
ble are  they  compared  with  the  Scriptures !  Is  it  possi- 
ble that  a  book  so  simple  and  at  once  so  sublime  should 
be  merely  the  work  of  man  ?  Is  it  possible  that  the  sacred 
personage  whose  history  it  contains  should  be  himself  a 
mere  man  ?  Do  we  find  that  he  assumed  the  tone  of  an 
enthusiast  or  ambitious  sectary  ?  What  sweetness,  what 
purity  in  his  manner !  What  an  affecting  gracefulness  in 
his  instructions  !  What  sublimity  in  his  maxims  !  What 
profound  wisdom  in  his  discourses!  What  presence  of 
mind,  what  subtlety,  what  fitness  in  his  replies!     How 


I32  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

great  the  command  over  his  passions !  Where  is  the 
man,  where  the  philosopher,  who  could  so  live  and  so  die 
without  weakness  and  without  ostentation  ?  When  Plato 
describes  his  imaginary  just  man,  loaded  with  all  the 
punishments  of  guilt,  yet  meriting  the  highest  rewards  of 
virtue,  he  describes  exactly  the  character  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  the  resemblance  is  so  striking  that  all  the  Church 
Fathers  perceived  it.  .  .  What  prepossession,  what  blind- 
ness, must  it  be  to  compare  the  son  of  Sophroniscus  to 
the  son  of  Mary  !  What  an  infinite  disproportion  be- 
tween them  !  The  Spartans  were  a  sober  people  before 
Socrates  recommended  sobriety.  Before  he  had  even 
defined  virtue  his  country  abounded  in  virtuous  men. 
But  where  could  Jesus  learn  among  his  contemporaries 
that  pure  and  sublime  morality  of  which  he  only  has 
given  us  both  precept  and  example  ?  The  greatest  wis- 
dom was  made  known  among  the  most  bigoted  fanati- 
cism ;  and  the  simplicity  of  the  most  heroic  virtues  did 
honor  to  the  vilest  people  on  the  earth.  The  death  of 
Socrates,  peacefully  philosophizing  among  his  friends,  ap- 
pears the  most  agreeable  that  one  could  wish :  while  that 
of  Jesus,  expiring  in  agonies,  abused,  insulted,  and  ac- 
cused by  a  whole  nation,  is  the  most  horrible  that  one 
could  fear.  Socrates,  indeed,  in  receiving  the  cup  of 
poison,  blessed  the  weeping  executioner  who  adminis- 
tered it:  but  Jesus,  amid  excruciating  tortures,  prayed 
for  his  merciless  tormentors.  Yes,  verily,  if  the  life  and 
death  of  Socrates  zvere  those  of  a  sage,  the  life  a?id  death 
of  Jesus  were  those  of  a  God." 

(12.)  Voltaire.  No  man  ever  lived  who  wrote  more 
viciously  or  bitterly  of  the  Christian  religion  than  he ;  yet 
hear  this  letter,  the  last  he  ever  wrote,  expressed  in  an 
honest  hour  and  worthy  of  consideration  as  the  utterance 


THE   TESTIMONY   OF  INFIDELS.  1 33 

of  a  dying  man  :  "  I,  the  underwritten,  do  declare  that  for 
these  four  days  past,  having  been  afflicted  with  vomiting 
of  blood — at  the  age  of  eighty-four — and  not  being  able  to 
drag  myself  to  church,  the  reverend  Rector  of  Sulpice 
having  been  pleased  to  add  to  his  many  favors  that  of 
sending  me  the  Abbe  Gautier,  I  did  confess  to  him,  and  if 
it  please  God  to  dispose  of  me,  I  would  die  in  the  Church 
in  which  I  was  born.  Hoping  that  the  divine  mercy  will 
pardon  my  faults,  I  sign  myself  in  the  presence  of  Abbe 
Mignot,  my  nephew,  and  Marquis  de  Villeville,  my  friend, 
Voltaire.     March  2,  1778." 

V.  We  here  introduce  a  witness  who  stands  alone, 
the  most  colossal  figure  in  history. 

(13.)  Napoleon.  If  not  an  unbeliever  in  the  radical 
sense,  he  was  certainly  a  fatalist.  His  star  of  destiny  was 
his  only  Providence.  In  his  Egyptian  campaign  he  car- 
ried a  Bible  and  Koran  together,  labelled  "  Politics."  His 
soul  was  absorbed  in  personal  ambition.  He  died  mur- 
muring, "  France,  Josephine,  Head  of  the  Army  !"  On 
one  occasion,  during  his  exile,  Gen.  Bertrand  said  to  him, 
"  I  cannot  conceive,  sire,  how  a  great  man  like  you  could 
believe  that  a  Supreme  Being  could  exhibit  himself  to 
man  in  human  guise."  Napoleon  answered,  "  I  know 
men ;  and  I  tell  you  that  jesus  Christ  was  not  a  man.  Su- 
perficial minds  see  a  resemblance  between  Christ  and  the 
founders  of  empires  and  the  gods  of  other  religions. 
That  resemblance  does  not  exist.  There  is  between 
Christianity  and  whatever  other  religions  the  distance  of 
infinity.  We  can  say  to  the  authors  of  every  other  reli- 
gion, '  You  are  neither  gods,  nor  the  agents  of  the  Deity. 
You  are  but  missionaries  of  falsehood,  moulded  from  the 
same  clay  with  the  rest  of  mortals.  You  are  made  with  all 
the   passions   and  vices   inseparable   from   them.     Your 


134  "THE   MORNING   COMETH. 

temples  and  your  priests  proclaim  your  origin.'  Such 
will  be  the  judgment,  the  cry  of  conscience,  of  whoever 
examines  the  gods  and  the  temples  of  paganism.  .  . 
It  is  not  so  with  Christ.  Everything  in  him  astonishes 
me.  His  spirit  overawes  me  and  his  will  confounds  me. 
Between  him  and  whoever  else  in  the  world  there  is  no 
possible  term  of  comparison.  He  is  truly  a  being  by 
himself.  His  ideas  and  his  sentiments,  the  truth  which  he 
announces,  and  his  manner  of  convincing,  are  not  ex- 
plained either  by  human  organization  or  by  the  nature  of 
things.  His  birth  and  the  history  of  his  life;  the  pro- 
fundity of  his  doctrine,  which  grapples  the  mightiest  diffi- 
culties, and  which  is  of  those  difficulties  the  most  admira- 
ble solution ;  his  gospel,  his  apparition,  his  empire,  his 
march  across  the  ages  and  the  realms — everything  is  for 
me  a  prodigy,  a  mystery  insoluble,  which  plunges  me 
into  reveries  which  I  cannot  escape ;  a  mystery  which  is 
there  before  my  eyes,  a  mystery  which  I  can  neither  deny 

nor  explain.      Here  I  see  nothing  human And 

what  a  mysterious  symbol,  the  instrument  of  the  punish- 
ment of  the  Man- God  !  His  disciples  were  armed  with  it. 
1  The  Christ,'  they  said,  ' God,  has  died  for  the  salvation  of 
men.'  What  a  strife,  what  a  tempest,  these  simple  words 
have  raised  around  the  humble  standard  of  the  punish- 
ment of  the  Man- God  !  On  the  one  side  we  see  rage  and 
all  the  furies  of  hatred  and  violence  :  on  the  other  there 
are  gentleness,  moral  courage,  infinite  resignation.  For 
three  hundred  years  spirit  struggled  against  the  brutality 
of  sense,  conscience  against  despotism,  the  soul  against 
the  body,  virtue  against  all  the  vices.  The  blood  of  Chris- 
tians flowed  in  torrents.  They  died  kissing  the  hand 
which  slew  them.  The  soul  alone  protested,  while  the 
body  surrendered    itself  to    ail    tortures.      Everywhere 


THE  TESTIMONY   OF   INFIDELS.  1 35 

Christians  fell,  and  everywhere  they  triumphed.  You 
speak  of  Caesar,  of  Alexander,  of  their  conquests,  and  of 
the  enthusiasm  which  they  enkindled  in  the  hearts  of  their 
soldiers ;  but  can  you  conceive  of  a  dead  man  making 
conquests,  with  an  army  faithful  and  entirely  devoted  to 
his  memory  ?  .  .  .  Now  that  I  am  at  St.  Helena,  now  that 
I  am  alone,  chained  upon  this  rock,  who  fights  and  wins 
empires  for  me  ?  who  are  the  courtiers  of  my  misery  and 
misfortunes  ?  who  thinks  of  me  ?  who  makes  effort  for 
me  in  Europe  ?  Where  are  my  friends  ?  .  .  .  Such  is 
the  fate  of  great  men.  So  it  was  with  Caesar  and  Alex- 
ander. And  I,  too,  am  forgotten;  and  the  name  of  a  con- 
queror and  an  emperor  is  a  college  theme.  Our  exploits 
are  tasks  given  to  pupils  by  their  tutors,  who  sit  in  judg- 
ment upon  us,  awarding  censure  or  praise.  And  mark 
what  is  soon  to  become  of  me :  assassinated  by  the  Eng- 
lish oligarchy,  I  die  before  my  time ;  and  my  dead  body, 
too,  must  return  to  the  earth,  to  become  food  for  worms. 
Behold  the  destiny  of  him  whom  the  world  called  the 
great  Napoleon !  What  an  abyss  between  my  deep  misery 
and  the  eternal  reign  of  Christ,  which  is  proclaimed,  loved, 
adored,  and  which  is  extending  over  all  the. earth!  Is 
this  to  die?  is  it  not  rather  to  live?  The  death  of 
Christ — it  is  the  death  of  God." 

VI.  We  summon  now  two  witnesses  from  among  the 
poets,  both  of  whom,  gifted  with  extraordinary  genius,  re- 
jected the  gospel  of  Christ. 

(14.)  Goethe.  He  said,  "  I  consider  the  Gospels  to  be 
thoroughly  genuine,  for  in  them  is  the  effective  reflection 
of  the  sublimity  which  emanates  from  Jesus,  and  this  is  as 
divine  as  ever  the  divine  appeared  on  earth." 

(15.)  Jean  Paul  Richter,  worshipper  of  the  beautiful. 
"  Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  the  purest  among  the  mighty,  the 


136  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

mightiest  among  the  pure,  who  with  his  pierced  hand  has 
raised  empires  from  their  foundations,  turned  the  stream 
of  history  from  its  old  channel,  and  still  continues  to  rule 
and  guide  the  ages." 

VII.  The  two  who  are  now  to  appear  and  bear  testi- 
mony are  representative  leaders  of  the  right  and  left  wings 
of  modern  Unitarianism. 

(16.)  Dr.  Channing,  leader  of  the  conservatives,  says, 
"  I  maintain  that  this  is  a  character  wholly  remote  from 
human  conception.  To  imagine  it  to  be  the  production 
of  imposture  or  enthusiasm  shows  a  strange  unsoundness 
of  mind.  I  contemplate  it  with  a  veneration  second  only 
to  the  profound  awe  with  which  I  look  upward  to  God.  It 
bears  no  mark  of  human  invention.  It  belongs  to  and 
manifested  the  beloved  Son  of  God.  I  feel  as  if  I  could 
not  be  deceived.  The  Gospels  must  be  true.  They  were 
drawn  from  a  living  original.  The  character  of  Jesus  is 
not  a  fiction.  He  was  what  he  claimed  to  be  and  what 
his  followers  attested.  Nor  is  this  all.  Jesus  not  only 
was,  he  is  still,  the  Son  of  God,  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 
He  has  entered  the  heaven  to  which  he  always  looked 
forward  on  earth.  There  he  lives  and  reigns.  With  a 
clear,  calm  faith  I  see  him  in  that  state  of  glory,  and  I 
confidently  expect,  at  no  distant  period,  to  see  him  face  to 
face.  We  have  indeed  no  absent  friend  whom  we  shall  so 
surely  see.  Let  us  then,  by  imitation  of  his  virtues  and 
obedience  to  his  word,  prepare  ourselves  to  join  him  in 
those  pure  mansions  where  he  is  surrounding  himself  with 
the  good  and  the  pure,  and  will  communicate  to  them  for 
ever  his  own  spirit  and  power  and  joy." 

(17.)  Theodore  Parker,  leader  of  the  radicals,  says, 
"Jesus  combines  in  himself  the  sublimest  precepts  and 
divinest  practices,  thus  more  than  realizing  the  dream  of 


THE   TESTIMONY   OF   INFIDELS.  1 37 

prophets  and  sages.  He  puts  away  the  doctors  of  the 
law,  subtle,  learned,  irrefragable,  and  pours  out  a  doctrine 
beautiful  as  the  light,  sublime  as  heaven,  and  true  as  God. 
The  philosophers,  the  poets,  the  prophets,  the  rabbis — he 
rises  above  them  all.  That  mightiest  heart  that  ever  beat, 
stirred  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  how  it  wrought  in  his  bosom ! 
What  words  of  rebuke,  of  comfort,  counsel,  admonition, 
promise,  hope,  did  he  pour  out !  words  that  stir  the  soul 
as  summer  dews  call  up  the  faint  and  sickly  grass.  What 
profound  instruction  in  his  proverbs  and  discourses ! 
What  wisdom  in  his  homely  sayings,  so  rich  with  Jewish 
life !  What  deep  divinity  of  soul  in  his  prayers,  his  ac- 
tion, sympathy,  resignation  !  Eighteen  centuries  have 
passed  since  the  tide  of  humanity  rose  so  high.  What 
man,  what  sect,  what  church,  has  mastered  his  thought, 
comprehended  his  method,  and  so  fully  applied  it  to  life? 
Let  the  world  answer  in  its  cry  of  anguish.  Measure  him 
by  the  shadow  he  has  cast  into  the  world— no,  by  the  light 
he  has  shed  upon  it.  Shall  we  be  told  that  such  a  man 
never  lived?  Suppose  that  Newton  never  lived.  But 
who  did  his  works  ?  and  thought  his  thoughts  ?  It  takes 
a  Newton  to  forge  a  Newton.  What  man  could  have 
fabricated  a  Jesus  f    None  but  Jesus." 

VIII.  The  two  witnesses  who  remain  have  been  fore- 
most leaders  of  modern  unbelief. 

(18.)  David  Strauss,  the  author  of  the  mythical  theory 
of  the  story  of  Jesus — perhaps  the  most  conspicuous  fig- 
ure in  recent  German  thought.  A  few  years  ago  he  was 
buried  without  a  prayer  or  word  of  Christian  song.  He 
says,  "  If  in  Jesus  the  union  of  self-consciousness  with  the 
consciousness  of  God  has  been  real,  and  expressed  not 
only  in  words  but  actually  revealed  in  all  the  conditions 
of  his  life,  he  represe?its  within  the  religious  sphere  the 


133  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

highest  point,  beyond  which  humanity  cannot  go — yea, 
whom  it  cannot  equal,  inasmuch  as  every  one  who  here- 
after should  climb  to  the  same  height  could  only  do  so 
with  the  help  of  Jesus  who  first  attained  it.  He  remains 
the  highest  model  of  religion  within  our  thought,  a?id  no 
perfect  piety  is  possible  without  his  presence  in  the  heart." 

(19.)  Ernest  Renan,  author  of  the  legendary  theory. 
He  rejected  the  supernatural  from  the  gospel  record. 
His  romantic  biography  of  Jesus  concludes  in  these  words, 
"  Repose  now  in  thy  glory,  noble  founder!  Henceforth, 
beyond  the  reach  of  frailty,  thou  shalt  witness,  from  the 
heights  of  divine  peace,  the  infinite  results  of  thy  work. 
For  thousands  of  years  the  world  will  defend  thee  !  Thou 
shalt  be  the  banner  about  which  the  hottest  battle  will  be 
given  .  .  .  Whatever  may  be  the  surprises  of  the  future, 
Jesus  will  never  be  surpassed.  His  worship  will  grow 
young  without  ceasing;  his  legend  will  call  forth  tears 
without  end;  his  sufferings  will  melt  the  noblest  hearts; 
all  ages  will  proclaim  that  among  the  sons  of  men  there  is 
none  born  greater  than  Jesus." 

In  view  of  these  concessions  made  by  the  leading  rep- 
resentatives of  unbelief  all  along  the  centuries,  it  is  sub- 
mitted that  thoughtful  people  cannot  pause  in  a  partial  or 
qualified  rejection  of  Jesus  Christ. 

(A.)  As  to  his  person.  Was  he  man?  Ay,  grandly 
so.  But  he  was  either  less  than  a  true  man  or  more.  His 
enemies  themselves  being  witnesses,  he  was  either  an  im- 
postor or  the  Divine  Man,  as  he  claimed  to  be. 

(B.)  As  to  his  character.  He  was  the  one  bright  par- 
ticular star  in  a  firmament  of  imperfect  lights.  He  alone 
is  worthy  to  be  the  exemplar  of  character,  for  he  alone 
meets  the  conditions  of  the  ideal  manhood. 

(C.)  As  to  his  teaching.   There  have  been  other  sacred 


THE   TESTIMONY   OF   INFIDELS.  1 39 

teachers — Seneca,  Confucius,  Zoroaster,  Sakya-Muni — but 
these  were  in  comparison  with  him  as  glow-worms  to  the 
noonday  sun.     Never  man  spake  like  this  Man. 

(D.)  As  to  his  work.  "  He  went  about  doing  good." 
And  since  his  crucifixion  he  has  continued  the  building 
up  of  a  kingdom  of  truth  and  righteousness  on  earth. 
Its  outward  form  is  the  church,  "  fair  as  the  moon,  clear 
as  the  sun,  and  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners." 

(E.)  As  to  the  manner  of  his  death.  Ah,  here  the 
mystery  thickens !  Here  the  power  converges.  Under 
his  cross  we  learn  the  truth,  justice,  holiness,  and  mercy 
of  the  living  God.  And  here  Christ  comes  into  vital  rela- 
tion with  our  souls.     Our  God  is  the  God  of  salvation. 

What  therefore  shall  we  say  ?  As  for  me,  I  do  be- 
lieve this  Jesus  is  destined  to  reign  even  unto  the  ends 
of  the  earth.  The  story  of  his  church  is  an  unbroken 
record  of  triumph.  The  government  is  upon  his  shoul- 
ders.    He  is  King  over  all  and  blessed  for  ever. 

What  more  ?  As  for  me,  this  Christ  shall  be  my  Sa- 
viour. Shall  he  be  yours?  To  doubting  Thomas  he 
said,  "  Reach  hither  thy  hand  and  thrust  it  into  my 
side,  and  be  not  faithless  but  believing."  We  have 
stood  in  the  presence  of  his  foes;  we  have  listened  to 
their  words  concerning  him.  Faint  praise,  indeed  !  and 
intended,  ofttimes,  to  pierce  as  sharp  arrows.  We  have 
thrust  our  fingers  into  the  wounds  of  the  perfect  One. 
Oh  let  us  be  faithless  no  more,  but  believing!  His  ene- 
mies themselves  being  his  judges,  he  is  chiefest  among 
ten  thousand  and  altogether  lovely.  By  their  testimony 
he  is  proven  to  be  worthy  of  our  love  and  devotion.  Let 
us  therefore,  like  Thomas,  all  doubts  dispelled,  fall  before 
him,  crying,  "  My  Lord  and  my  God  !" 


140  "THE   MORNING    COMETH.' 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  TEOPLE. 


"And  the  lord  said  unto  the  servant,  Go  out  into  the  high- 
ways and  hedges,  and  compel  them  to  come  in,  that  my  house  may 
be  filled." — Luke  14:23. 

The  holy  life  is  set  forth  as  a  feast.  It  is  a  feast  of 
fat  things  and  wine  upon  the  lees.  All  things  are  ready  ; 
abundant  provision  has  been  made;  the  invitations  are 
sent  out.  But,  strange  to  tell,  no  one  accepts.  All  with 
one  consent  begin  to  make  excuse.  "  I  have  bought  a 
piece  of  ground,  and  I  must  needs  go  and  see  it ;  I  pray 
thee  have  me  excused."  There  spoke  the  prosperous 
man,  whose  field  was  a  competence  and  who  had  no  need 
of  spiritual  things.  "  I  have  purchased  five  yoke  of  oxen, 
and  am  going  to  try  them  ;  I  pray  thee  have  me  excused." 
There  spoke  the  busy  man,  whose  devotions  were  hin- 
dered by  his  cares.  "  I  have  married  a  wife,  and  there- 
fore I  cannot  come."  There  spoke  the  happy  man,  who 
suffered  the  best  of  earth's  blessings  to  stand  between  him 
and  heaven.  All  excuses  are  bad.  Nothing  should  keep 
a  sinner  from  the  feast  of  God. 

All  declined  the  invitation.  Every  one  of  us,  without 
exception,  if  we  were  left  to  ourselves,  would  remain  away 
from  God ;  but,  blessed  be  his  name,  he  worketh  in  us  of 
his  own  good  pleasure  to  draw  us  heavenward.  He  moves 
us  by  the  sweet  constraints  of  love. 

"  Why  was  I  made  to  hear  his  voice 
And  enter  while  there's  room, 
While  thousands  make  a  wretched  choice 
And  rather  starve  than  come  ? 


THE   CHURCH   AND   THE    PEOPLE.  141 

"  'T  was  the  same  love  that  spread  the  feast 
That  sweetly  forced  me  in, 
Else  I  had  still  refused  to  taste 
And  perished  in  my  sin." 

We  turn  our  attention  to  the  multitude  who  are  out 
among  the  highways  and  the  hedges. 

The  lapsed  masses,  the  unchurched  people — they  are  in 
all  points  by  nature  such  as  we.  They  have  a  common 
birth,  a  common  experience  of  joy  or  sorrow,  a  common 
destiny.  They  have  the  same  longing  at  the  bottom  of 
their  hearts  for  everlasting  life  ;  but  they  have  a  quarrel 
with  the  church,  and,  alas,  a  quarrel  with  God !  Who 
are  they  ? 

First,  an  army  of  tramps  and  other  disreputables. 
Tens  of  thousands  of  them  are  walking  our  streets  at 
night,  ill-clad,  hungry,  friendless,  penniless,  with  no  place 
to  rest  their  aching  bones,  many  of  them  sodden  with 
drink,  many  ready  for  any  desperate  deed.  These  are 
the  submerged  tenth.  "  Submerged  !"  Significant  word ; 
they  strangle  in  the  overwhelming  flood  of  sin  and  shame. 
Yet  every  one  of  them  was  born  to  noble  things  and  is 
capable  of  upbuilding  into  the  likeness  of  God. 

Second,  a  vast  proportion  of  the  artisan  class,  the 
industrious  middle  class  who  are  the  very  bone  and  sinew 
of  the  prosperity  of  our  land.  In  some  way  they  are 
largely  alienated  from  the  church.  Is  it  possible  that  we 
have  put  Christ  away  from  them  ?  Have  we  forgotten 
that  Jesus  was  a  carpenter  ?  On  the  walls  and  chancels  of 
our  great  cathedrals  we  have  pictured  him  as  the  Holy 
Child  in  Mary's  arms,  with  a  circle  of  light  about  his  head, 
as  the  boy  Christ  in  the  midst  of  the  learned  doctors,  as 
the  wayfarer  going  about  doing  good,  as  the  Redeemer 
in  the  anguish  of  the  cross,  as  the  Conqueror  of  death 


142  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

ascending  into  the  heavens,  and  always  and  everywhere 
with  that  luminous  halo  about  his  head.  Would  it  not  be 
better  to  paint  him  as  the  carpenter  in  his  shop,  the  im- 
plements of  his  trade  about  him,  chips  and  shavings  around 
his  feet,  weary  with  the  day's  toil,  wiping  the  perspiration 
from  his  brow  ?  Would  it  not  be  better  to  omit  the  halo 
and  put  a  workman's  cap  upon  his  head  ?  In  that  direc- 
tion lies  the  success  of  the  propaganda  among  the  working 
classes  who  are  the  dependence  of  the  nations.  We  can 
get  on  without  the  paupers,  though  God  knows  we  fain 
would  win  them  to  his  glory  ;  we  can  get  on  without  the 
millionaires,  though  their  souls  are  beyond  price  in  the 
Father's  eyes  ;  but  we  cannot  get  on  without  the  men  who 
till  the  fields  and  fell  the  forests  and  wield  the  industries 
of  the  world. 

Third,  the  lapsed  aristocracy.  The  church  has  seemed 
oblivious  of  the  fact  that  in  our  great  metropolitan  centres, 
and  notably  on  Manhattan  Island,  a  centrifugal  drift  has 
long  been  going  on  which  has  carried  off  a  great  number 
of  our  homekeepers.  Their  places  have  been  taken  by  a 
greater  number  of  eminently  respectable  people  who  dwell 
in  our  splendid  apartment-houses  or  in  palatial  suites  in 
magnificent  hotels.  These  have  thrown  off  the  responsi- 
bilities of  domestic  life,  and  with  them  have  largely  ab- 
solved themselves,  alas,  from  the  responsibilities  of  the 
sanctuary.  A  large  proportion  of  this  class  is  prayerless 
and  practically  godless.  The  Sunday  newspaper  is  their 
Sabbath  soporific.  If  they  go  to  church  it  is  as  Bedouins, 
not  as  regular  worshippers.  Of  all  the  unchurched  mul- 
titudes, for  obvious  reasons,  these  people  are  the  most 
difficult  to  reach.  The  church  has  not  yet  recognized 
the  claims  of  this  lapsed  aristocracy.  It  is  high  time  that 
God's  people  should  go  out  and  constrain  them  to  come  in. 


THE   CHURCH   AND   THE   TEOPLE.  143 

How  shall  these  various  classes  of  unchurched  people 
be  reached  ?  The  key  of  the  situation  is  in  two  watch- 
words, "  The  Old  Gospel"  and  "  New  Methods." 

I.  The  Old  Gospel.  There  is  no  improvement  here. 
None  is  possible  in  the  nature  of  the  case.  Human 
nature  is  a  constant  factor.  We  have  the  same  wants, 
longings,  aspirations,  that  our  fathers  had.  And  the  same 
gospel  is  needed  to  meet  them.  This  gospel  is  briefly 
summed  up  in  three  facts. 

(1.)  Sin.  Sin  everywhere,  dark,  abominable,  corrupt- 
ing, damning,  all-pervasive,  ending  in  spiritual  and  eter- 
nal death.  Any  attempt  to  tone  down  the  character  of 
sin  is  sure  to  result  in  inefficiency.  The  people  must 
come  to-day  as  they  have  always  needed  to  come,  beating 
upon  their  breasts  and  crying,  God  be  merciful ! 

(2.)  Salvation.  The  cross  is  ever  in  the  midst.  This 
is  a  faithful  saying  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that 
Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners.  The 
blood  of  Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin,  and  without  the 
shedding  of  blood  there  is  no  remission  of  sin. 

(3.)  Sanctification.  The  agent  in  sanctification  is  the 
Holy  Ghost,  the  medium  is  Scripture.  So  Christ  prayed, 
"  Sanctify  them  through  thy  truth  ;  thy  word  is  truth."  It 
is  said  in  certain  quarters  now  that  Christianity  is  not  a 
religion  of  a  book.  But  Christ  made  it  so.  "  Search  the 
Scriptures,"  he  said,  "  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eter- 
nal life,  and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  me."  A  loss 
of  confidence  in  the  Scriptures  means  a  loss  of  power.  A 
slighted  Bible  means  debility  and  enervation.  A  lost  Bible 
means  absolute  and  utter  weakness.  A  minister  of  the 
gospel  who  cannot  in  all  honesty  commend  the  old-fash- 
ioned Book  as  an  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  practice  will 
not  be  able  to  convict,  convert,  or   build    up    character. 


144  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

Let  us  therefore,  if  we  would  win  the  multitudes,  hold  fast 
to  the  Scriptures  as  the  veritable  word  of  God. 

II.  New  Methods.  Principles  are  eternal,  but  the  forces 
for  their  application  must  be  adjusted  to  the  times.  Truth 
is  the  same  for  ever,  but  new  methods  are  needed  for  its 
promulgation.  The  Bible  is  the  same  for  ever,  yet  that 
was  a  great  truth  that  John  Robinson  uttered  at  the  em- 
barkation of  the  pilgrims,  "  New  light  shall  ever  more 
burst  forth  from  the  Word  of  God."  Christ  is  the  same 
always,  yet  history  sheds  an  ever-increasing  splendor 
upon  his  face  and  gives  a  greater  glory  to  his  presence. 

(i.)  We  need  more  zeal  than  ever.  Our  earnestness 
must  be  abreast  of  this  age.  When  men  travelled  by  land 
in  coaches  and  by  sea  in  galleons  the  church  might  pursue 
her  work  with  corresponding  deliberation,  but  now  she 
must  adjust  her  plans  to  those  of  universal  industry.  If 
other  people  are  diligent  in  business,  we  should  be  more. 
The  Lord  himself  at  the  outset  of  his  ministry  said,  "The 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  God  is  upon  me,  for  he  hath  anointed 
me  to  work  wonders  and  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor." 
By  the  same  token  we  are  anointed,  consecrated  by  the 
Spirit,  to  the  building  up  of  the  kingdom  of  truth  and 
righteousness.  It  behooves  us  to  rest  not  day  nor  night 
until  we  have  done  our  utmost  to  accomplish  it. 

(2.)  We  need  a  closer  touch  with  the  people.  Our 
Lord  had  an  intense  sympathy  with  the  cares  and  troubles 
of  the  masses.  He  had  compassion  on  the  multitude.  He 
felt  for  the  rich ;  beholding  the  young  ruler,  he  loved  him. 
He  felt  for  the  poor  and  championed  their  rights.  In 
many  a  poverty-stricken  home,  this  bitter  winter's  day, 
there  are  mothers  kneeling  with  their  little  children  about 
them  and  praying  with  a  desperate  fervor  that  we  can 
scarcely  apprehend,  "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread." 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  PEOPLE.  145 

The  heart  of  Christ's  church  must  ever  throb  in  response 
to  human  want.  In  the  troublous  times  of  the  French 
Revolution  a  speaker  in  the  Corps  Legislatif  asked,  "  Why- 
do  not  our  great  men,  our  priests  and  philosophers,  move 
and  save  the  people?"  A  solemn  voice  replied,  "  Because 
they  are  cast  in  bronze."  We  who  profess  the  service  of 
Christ  shall  never  win  the  multitudes  until  our  hearts  are 
clearly  responsive  to  all  their  appeals  for  the  betterment 
of  body  and  soul. 

(3.)  A  broader  sweep.  All  the  while  we  are  tempted 
to  narrow  the  application  of  the  gospel.  We  are  warned 
away  from  the  domain  of  civil  life.  We  are  admonished 
not  to  meddle  overmuch  with  commercial  ethics.  But 
the  gospel  has  to  do  with  everything  that  can  affect  human 
life  and  citizenship.  We  must  not  be  warned  off.  The 
gospel  has  to  do  with  the  physical  and  metaphysical,  with 
science  and  politics  and  sociology,  with  municipal  reform, 
with  home  life  and  social  life.  Its  lines  are  gone  out  into 
all  the  world  and  there  is  nothing  hid  from  the  light 
thereof.  The  gospel  is  the  most  universally  diffused, 
freest,  most  unbindable  and  irrepressible  thing  in  the  uni- 
verse. It  claims  a  boundless  range,  an  infinite  latitude. 
No  man  nor  government  nor  ecclesiastical  judicatory 
must  be  permitted  to  place  bands  or  fetters  upon  it.  In 
behalf  of  the  multitude  it  must  be  allowed  to  concern  itself 
with  all  projects  that  have  to  do  with  the  physical  and 
moral  uplifting  of  the  race. 

(4.)  An  open  door.  Much  that  is  said  against  the 
system  of  renting  pews  in  our  churches  is  ill-grounded 
and  fallacious.  There  is  no  good  reason  why  we  should 
not  have  our  "  family  pews."  But  there  is  a  theory  of 
pew-renting  which  is  utterly  abominable ;  to  wit,  that  be- 
cause a  man  rents  a  pew  he  owns  it  in  fee  simple  and 

10 


I46  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

holds  an  exclusive  right  to  it.  This  giveth  an  evil  savor 
in  the  nostrils  of  God.  All  pews  must  be  taken  under 
the  conditions  of  Christian  hospitality.  If  a  man  feels 
bound  by  common  courtesy  to  admit  the  stranger  who 
stands  at  the  doorway  of  his  home,  he  surely  has  no  right 
to  close  his  pew- door  and  keep  the  stranger  waiting  in 
the  vestibule.  The  courtesy  of  the  sanctuary  should  be 
upon  as  high  a  level  as  the  courtesy  of  the  home.  And 
let  it  ever  be  remembered  that  the  sanctuary  is  not  the 
house  of  the  pew-holder,  but  the  house  of  God. 

(5.)  A  going  out.  A  paper  was  recently  read  in  a 
ministerial  association,  "  The  Secret  of  Winning  the 
Masses."  There  is  no  secret  about  it.  The  Lord  made 
the  whole  thing  plain  long  ago.  He  marked  out  the  plan 
of  campaign.  As  to  foreign  missions  he  said,  "  Go  ye  into 
all  lands  and  preach  my  gospel,"  and  as  to  home  missions 
he  said,  "  Go  ye  out  into  the  highways  and  hedges  and 
compel  them  to  come  in."  In  any  case  and  always, 
"  Go."  It  is  not  enough  to  build  churches  and  invite  the 
people  to  come  in.  We  must  go  out  and  constrain  them. 
Paul  won  Macedonia  when  he  v/ent  out  after  it.  Hans 
Egede  won  Greenland  when  he  went  out  after  it.  The 
Salvation  Army  is  winning  the  unchurched  multitudes 
because  it  is  going  out  after  them.  Christ  won  the  world 
because  he  laid  aside  the  robes  of  heaven  and  went  out 
after  it.  The  church  will  win  when  it  leaves  its  cloistered 
retirement  and  goes  forth  to  win. 

(6.)  We  must  keep  our  singers  in  front.  There  is 
quite  too  much  of  melancholy  in  our  methods.  "  Go 
down  against  the  enemy,"  said  Jahaziel,  "  and  be  not  dis- 
mayed, for  the  Lord  will  be  with  you."  At  daybreak 
the  army  went  forth  with  the  singers  in  front,  who  as  they 
marched  sang,  "  Praise  the  Lord,  for  his  mercy  endureth 


THE  CHURCH   AND   THE   PEOPLE.  147 

for  ever."      A  great  victory  was  the  result,  so  that  they 
were  three  days  gathering  the  spoil. 

We  speak  sometimes  as  if  the  multitudes  were  really 
drifting  away  from  God ;  it  is  not  true.  Much  remains  to 
be  done,  indeed,  but  there  are  more  people  in  the  Lord's 
house  to-day  than  ever  before  in  the  history  of  the  world. 
At  the  close  of  the  first  century  there  were  only  five  hun- 
dred thousand  Christians ;  at  the  close  of  the  fifth  century 
there  were  fifteen  millions  ;  at  the  close  of  the  tenth,  fifty 
millions ;  at  the  close  of  the  fifteenth,  one  hundred  mil- 
lions ;  at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth,  two  hundred  millions ; 
we  have  not  reached  the  close  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
and  there  are  more  than  four  hundred  million  adherents 
to  the  religion  of  Christ.  Surely  we  have  reason  to  thank 
God  and  take  courage.  Everything  is  going  right.  The 
Master's  house  shall  be  full,  the  feast  is  certain  to  be 
thronged  with  guests.  The  only  question  is  whether  you 
and  I  shall  be  there,  and  how  many  happy  guests  will 
feast  themselves  at  that  richly  loaded  table,  under  the 
smile  of  the  Glorious  Host,  because  we  have  gone  out 
and  compelled  them  to  come  in. 


148  "THE  MORNING  COMETH. 


THE  CHURCH  IX  THE  CATACOMBS. 


"  They  wandered  in   deserts    and   in  mountains    and  in  dens   and 
caves  of  the  earch."     Heb.  11:38. 

It  is  a  rare  thing  for  a  son  to  appreciate  his  inherit- 
ance. The  father  earns  his  wealth  by  driving  a  plough 
or  shoving  a  plane ;  his  son,  chasing  thistledown,  squan- 
ders it.  "  Easy  come,  easy  go."  It  holds  true  also  in 
spiritual  things.  The  fathers  of  the  church  labored,  and 
we  have  entered  into  their  labors.  We  sit  in  our  pleasant 
sanctuaries  and  worship  God  with  none  to  molest  us  or 
make  us  afraid,  but  oh  this  freedom  was  purchased  origin- 
ally at  a  great  price  !  We  shall  love  it  the  more  fervently 
and  cherish  it  the  more  zealously  when  we  reflect  how 
our  forebears  wrought,  toiled,  and  suffered  to  secure  it. 

An  important  part  of  the  story  is  to  be  learned  from 
the  catacombs  of  Rome.  These  excavations  in  the  tufa, 
or  soft  volcanic  rock  which  underlies  the  imperial  city, 
were  probably  made  by  quarry-men.  The  galleries  are 
three  or  four  feet  wide,  winding  in  and  out  on  different 
levels,  crossing  and  recrossing,  a  distance  of  four  hundred 
miles  in  all,  or  greater  than  from  end  to  end  of  Italy.  On 
either  side  are  shelves  or  niches  for  the  dead.  Here  are 
more  than  three  million  graves.  It  is  a  vast  subterranean 
city  of  the  dead  —  dark,  lonely,  dismal  beyond  expres- 
sion, the  silence  of  death  over  all.  This  was  the  rude 
cradle  of  the  infant  church. 

On  the  night  of  July  16,  A.  D.  64,  a  great  conflagra- 
tion swept  over  the  city  of  Rome,  burning  fiercely  for  six 


THE   CHURCH    IN   THE   CATACOMBS.  149 

days  and  destroying  ten  of  its  fourteen  wards.  This  was 
regarded  as  a  manifestation  of  the  anger  of  the  gods. 
They  must  be  appeased ;  a  sacrifice  must  be  found. 
How  natural  that  the  lot  should  fall  upon  the  lowly  Chris- 
tians. The  imperial  word  went  out  against  them  ;  "  they 
were  stoned,  they  were  sawn  asunder,  they  were  slain 
•with  the  sword."  Whither  should  they  flee?  To  the 
catacombs.  In  these  dark  galleries  they  found  a  near 
and  safe  retreat.  And  here  they  were  wont  to  resort  for 
a  period  of  three  centuries,  during  the  persecutions  under 
the  successive  emperors,  under  Domitian  and  Trajan  and 
that  excellent  Marcus  Aurelius  who  divided  his  time  be- 
twixt a  philosophy  of  sweetness  and  light  and  the  slaugh- 
ter of  God's  little  ones. 

Imagine  the  life  of  the  early  Christians  in  this  desolate 
retreat.  They  uttered  their  prayers  in  low  voices,  listen- 
ing for  the  footfall  of  pursuers,  and  while  they  bowed  in 
their  small  chapels  under  the  flickering  gleam  of  lamps 
placed  in  the  burial  niches  round  about,  they  heard  the 
low  rumble  of  the  chariot-wheels  overhead,  telling  how 
the  bravery  and  beauty  of  Rome  were  hastening  to  the 
Coliseum,  perhaps  to  witness  the  heroic  death  of  some  of 
their  loved  ones.  At  night  the  mangled  bodies  of  the 
dead  were  stealthily  brought  to  them  and  were  put  away 
in  their  narrow  resting-places.  But  these  were  glorious 
days,  the  seedtime  of  heroism  from  which  we  gather  the 
harvests  of  peace.  The  hymns  they  sang  were  in  the 
spirit  of  heroic  resignation  to  God's  sovereign  will.  Here 
is  one  which  has  come  down  to  us : 

"  Tear  as  you  will  this  mangled  frame, 
Prone  to  mortality ; 
But  think  not,  man  of  blood,  to  tame 
Or  take  revenge  on  me. 


150  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

"  This,  which  you  labor  to  destroy 
With  so  much  madness,  so  much  rage, 

Is  but  a  vessel  formed  of  clay, 

Brittle,  and  hastening  to  decay. 
Let  nobler  foes  your  arms  employ  ; 

Subdue  the  indomitable  soul ; 
Which,  when  fierce  whirlwinds  rend  the  sky, 
Looks  on  in  calm  security 

And  bows  to  God's  control." 

We  may  gain  an  insight  into  the  life  and  character  of 
these  early  believers  from  the  symbols  which  were  carved 
in  their  underground  chapels  and  on  the  sepulchres  of 
their  dead. 

I.  One  of  the  most  familiar  symbols  is  the  fish.  It 
gets  its  significance  from  the  fact  that  the  letters  of  the 
Greek  word  ichtlnis,  meaning  fish,  are  the  initials  of  the 
words  Itfccwc  Xpca-og  Geov  Twf  Zuttjp,  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God,  the  Saviour.  It  was  not  safe  to  place  the  name  of 
Jesus  on  the  sepulchres  of  those  who  believed  in  him,  but 
here  was  a  cipher  which  could  be  used  to  mark  their 
narrow  homes.  And  how  significant  of  heroic  constancy  ! 
These  people  had  left  everything  for  Jesus ;  homes,  pos- 
sessions, swreet  associations — all  were  gone.  Christ  only 
remained  for  them.    He  was  their  Alpha  and  Omega  now. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  in  this  connection  that  among  the 
inscriptions  in  the  catacombs  there  is  not  one  to  indicate 
that  any  special  reverence  was  paid  to  the  Virgin  Mary. 
Rome  is  the  centre  of  Mariolatry  to-day;  yet  in  these 
galleries  beneath  the  Vatican,  where  three  centuries  of  the 
earliest  Christian  life  are  outlined,  there  is  no  Ave  Maria. 
Is  it  not  noteworthy  that  the  church  lived  three  cen- 
turies here  and  left  on  every  side  the  story  of  her  de- 
votion to  Jesus,  yet  no  word  or  syllable  to  authenticate 
the  Mariolatrous  litany  of  the  Romish  Church  !     It  was 


THE   CHURCH   IN   THE   CATACOMBS.  151 

not  until  the  believers  had  passed  the  heroic  period  of 
their  history  that  the  words  began  to  be  heard,  "  Holy 
Mother  of  God,  pray  for  us  !" 

II.  Another  symbol  used  in  the  catacombs  is  the  cross. 
It  is  met  with  everywhere,  in  the  little  chapels  where 
the  living  were  wont  to  worship  and  on  the  sepulchres  of 
the  dead.  To  these  refugees  of  the  early  church  the  cross 
meant  everything.  It  was  the  eloquent  token  of  their 
spiritual  life.  By  it  the  Saviour  had  brought  life  and 
immortality  to  light  for  them.  We,  alas,  have  abandoned 
the  symbol.  I  venture  the  opinion  that  at  this  point  the 
pendulum  of  the  Reformation,  in  receding  from  supersti- 
tion, has  swung  too  far  the  other  way.  Why  should  not 
the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ  adorn  the  walls  of  our  churches? 
Why  should  it  not  tower  aloft  from  our  spires  ? 

To  the  Christians  of  the  catacombs  it  was  an  emblem 
full  of  the  power  of  life.  It  spoke  to  them  not  merely  of 
the  Saviour's  death,  but  of  their  own  fellowship  with  it. 
They  knew  what  it  was  to  die  daily  for  Jesus'  sake.  They 
had  indeed  taken  up  the  cross  to  follow  him.  In  these 
piping  times  of  peace  we  can  but  dimly  apprehend  its  full 
meaning.  Yet  then,  as  evermore,  the  way  of  the  cross  is 
the  way  of  spiritual   and   eternal  life — "  Via  crucis  via 

lucis." 

"  Must  I  be  carried  to  the  skies 
On  flowery  beds  of  ease, 
While  others  fought  to  win  the  prize 
And  sailed  through  bloody  seas  ? 

"  Sure  I  must  fight  if  I  would  reign  ; 
Increase  my  courage,  Lord  ! 
I  '11  bear  the  toil,  endure  the  pain, 
Supported  by  thy  word." 

III.  A  third  symbol  which  frequently  occurs  in  the 
catacombs  is  the  anchor.     "  Which  hope  we  have  as  an 


152  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

anchor  of  the  soul,  both  sure  and  steadfast,  and  which  en- 
tereth  into  that  within  the  veil ;  whither  the  forerunner  is 
for  us  entered,  even  Jesus."  The  life  of  these  heroic  be- 
lievers was  indeed  a  stormy  voyage ;  but  they  had  with 
them  a  safe  chart  and  a  steadfast  anchor,  and  looked  on 
towards  a  final  and  eternal  haven  of  rest.  "  A  passage 
perilous  maketh  a  port  pleasant." 

There  is  no  evidence  to  show  that  the  life  of  these 
dwellers  in  the  catacombs  was  enveloped  in  gloom.  On 
the  other  hand  they  were  cheery  and  bright-hearted.  On 
one  of  the  chapel  walls  there  is  written : 

"There  is  light  in  this  darkness ; 
There  is  music  in  these  tombs." 

It  is  easy  for  us  to  say,  "  For  our  light  affliction,  which 
is  but  for  a  moment,  worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding 
and  eternal  weight  of  glory ;"  but  oh  how  full  of  signifi- 
cance that  assurance  must  have  been  to  those  sufferers  for 
the  truth's  sake  !  To  them  the  present  was  a  hand's- 
breadth,  the  future  was  illuminated  with  a  regal  splendor; 
a  moment  here,  eternity  yonder ;  affliction  now,  glory  for 
ever.  On  the  sepulchres  of  their  loved  ones  they  inscribed 
Dormit.  To  sleep  suggests  an  awakening.  "  If  he  sleep, 
he  shall  do  well."  For  them  weeping  might  endure  for  a 
night,  but  joy  was  sure  to  come  in  the  morning.  In  the 
morning  they  would  awake  in  the  likeness  of  their  Lord ; 
in  the  morning  they  would  clasp  hands  with  those  who 
had  gone  before  them. 

IV.  Yet  another  of  the  symbols  in  the  catacombs  was 
the  palm-branch.  Its  significance  is  shown  from  the  fact 
that  beside  it  are  frequent  portrayals  of  hooks  and  forceps 
and  iron  combs  for  tearing  the  flesh.  The  palm-branch  is 
the  mark  of  the  martyr's  grave.  There  are  multitudes  of 
tombs  thus  designated  where  those  lie  resting  of  whom 


THE   CHURCH    IN   THE   CATACOMBS.  1 53 

"  the  world  was  not  worthy."  The  Dreamer  in  the  desert 
island  saw  these  multitudes  in  the  upper  realms.  "  After 
this  I  beheld,  and  lo,  a  great  multitude,  which  no  man 
could  number,  of  all  nations  and  kindreds  and  people  and 
tongues,  stood  before  the  throne  and  before  the  Lamb, 
clothed  with  white  robes,  and  palms  in  their  hands,  and 
cried  with  a  loud  voice,  saying,  Salvation  to  our  God 
which  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb.  And 
one  of  the  elders  answered,  saying  unto  me,  What  are 
these  which  are  arrayed  in  white  robes  ?  and  whence 
came  they?  And  I  said  unto  him,  Sir,  thou  knowest. 
And  he  said  to  me,  These  are  they  which  came  out  of 
great  tribulation,  and  have  washed  their  robes  and  made 
them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  Therefore  are  they 
before  the  throne  of  God  and  serve  him  day  and  night  in 
his  temple:  and  he  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne  shall 
dwell  among  them.  They  shall  hunger  no  more,  neither 
thirst  any  more  ;  neither  shall  the  sun  light  on  them,  nor 
any  heat.  For  the  Lamb  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the 
throne  shall  feed  them,  and  shall  lead  them  unto  living 
fountains  of  waters :  and  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears 
from  their  eyes."     (Rev.  7:9-17.) 

The  end  of  this  long  story  of  tribulation  came  in  the 
year  404  A.  D.,  on  this  wise.  A  great  triumph  was  being 
celebrated  in  Rome.  The  Coliseum  was  filled  with  an 
expectant  multitude.  The  games  were  under  way.  The 
rope-dancing,  the  bear-baiting,  the  performing  elephants, 
the  foot-races,  the  chariot-races  were  followed  by  the  play 
of  Orpheus,  in  which  the  hero  was  doomed  to  the  beasts. 
This  gave  the  people  their  taste  for  blood.  The  gladia- 
tors were  called  for  and  came  forth — Ave  Ccosar  /  moritu- 
ri  te  salutamus  !  They  crossed  swords  and  went  down 
one   by   one,  the   people  gloating   furiously  over   every 


154  "THE   MORNING   COMETH. 

death.  All  this  was  witnessed  by  brave  knights  and  centu- 
rions, by  vestal  virgins  and  by  mothers  and  little  children. 
But  the  choicest  of  the  sports  was  yet  to  come.  A  clam- 
orous cry  was  heard — "  The  Christians  to  the  lions  !" 
And  while  the  arena  was  being  strewn  with  fresh  sand,  a 
rude  man  sprang  over  the  barriers  into  the  open  circus, 
bareheaded,  barefooted,  and  signalled  to  the  weary  glad- 
iators, waiting  on  their  swords,  to  fall  back.  "  Oh,  ye 
people !"  he  cried,  "  cease  from  the  shedding  of  blood. 
There  is  a  God  above;  take  heed!''  There  was  a  mo- 
ment of  silence,  and  then  the  fury  of  the  populace  broke 
forth  and  the  cry  arose  to  the  gladiators,  "  Cut  him 
down!"  He  folded  his  hands  and  lifted  his  face  in 
prayer.  A  moment  later  his  mangled  body  lay  upon  the 
sand ;  but  the  face  of  the  nameless  monk  was  seen  after- 
wards in  dreams.  His  life  had  not  been  squandered ;  that 
was  the  last  fight  in  the  Coliseum.  Not  long  afterwards 
the  decree  of  toleration  was  issued,  and  the  Christians 
came  forth  out  of  their  hiding-places  and  praised  God 
for  the  right  to  worship  him. 

How  long  ago  it  all  seems  !  What  wonders  have  been 
wrought  since  then  !  Let  us  come  forth  out  of  the  cata- 
combs and  look  around  us.  Here  are  the  seven  hills ; 
yonder  is  the  desolate  Campagna;  the  sluggish  tide  of  the 
Tiber  still  rolls  by.  The  Forum  is  there,  but  its  columns 
all  are  crumbling  and  the  voices  of  its  mighty  ones  are 
hushed.  Yonder  on  the  Palatine  was  Nero's  golden  house ; 
and  Nero's  gardens  were  just  over  there,  lit  once  by  liv- 
ing torches,  the  Christians  smeared  with  pitch  and  fired 
to  illuminate  the  revels.  In  the  midst  of  Nero's  gardens 
now  rises  the  magnificent  St.  Peter's,  the  golden  cross 
upon  its  dome  shining  red  in  the  light  of  the  setting 
sun.    And  the  Flavian  amphitheatre  which  rang  with  the 


THE   CHURCH    IN   THE   CATACOMBS.  1 55 

cry,  "Ad  leoncs  /"  its  walls  are  broken  and  gray  and  soli- 
tude pervades  it.  On  yonder  arch  of  Titus  is  the  fig- 
ure of  the  golden  candlestick  carried  away  in  triumph  by 
Jehovah's  foes ;  but  He  that  standeth  in  the  midst  of  the 
golden  candlestick  hath  triumphed  over  all.  Above  the 
monument  of  Titus'  victory  there  arises  another  arch 
spanning  the  heavens  and  the  earth  from  sea  to  sea,  a 
bow  of  promise  painted  with  all  the  colors  of  glory  and 
formed  by  the  Sun  of  heaven  shining  through  the  tem- 
pest of  history ;  and  lo,  there  is  a  cry,  "  Hosanna !  ho- 
sana!  blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  !"  The  heavens  rend  asunder ;  He  draws  near  whose 
right  it  is  to  reign,  clothed  with  the  sun,  crowned  with  a 
diadem  of  stars,  behind  him  a  retinue  of  angels  praising 
him  and  saying,  Thou  art  worthy  to  receive  power  and 
dominion  and  riches  and  wisdom  and  strength  and  honor 
and  glory  and  blessing  for  ever  and  ever ! 

I  have  read  somewhere  of  a  Roman  soldier,  a  vet- 
eran, scarred  and  crippled,  who,  hearing  over  the  distant 
hills  the  dull  sounds  of  battle,  buckled  on  his  sword  and 
struggled  with  swift  stumbling  steps  towards  the  field, 
praying  to  the  gods  at  every  step  that  he  might  live  to 
mingle  in  the  fray  once  more. 

O  beloved  in  Christ,  the  great  Armageddon  is  be- 
ing fought  to-day.  God  through  the  centuries,  working 
through  his  militant  church,  has  been  hastening  on  the 
fatal  consummation.  Let  us  crave  the  honor  of  fighting 
at  the  fore,  let  us  win  the  service  chevron  by  lending  all 
our  powers  to  the  heroic  struggle  for  the  upbuilding  of 
the  kingdom  of  truth  and  righteousness,  for  the  hastening 
of  the  triumph  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ. 


156  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

A  BUSY  MAN'S  BLUNDER. 


"And  as  thy  servant  was  busy  here  and  there,  he  was  gone." 

1  Kings  20:40. 

Ahab  was  a  wicked  king  and  a  weak  one.  He  had  a 
divine  commission  to  destroy  Syria.  Every  man  has  a 
commission  of  some  sort ;  his  life-work  is  to  discharge  it. 
But  Ahab  was  busy  about  other  things.  He  was  adorn- 
ing his  palace ;  he  was  introducing  a  new  state-religion ; 
he  was  perfecting  an  elaborate  cultus ;  he  was  dallying 
with  strange  pleasures.  The  king  of  Syria  came  up 
meanwhile  and  laid  siege  to  Samaria,  his  capital  city. 
A  prophet,  probably  Micaiah,  Ahab's  good  genius,  said, 
"  Now  is  your  opportunity,  O  king ;  seize  it."  The 
enemy  was  in  his  power ;  there  had  been  a  protracted  de- 
bauch and  Ben-hadad  was  sodden  with  drink.  "  Hast 
thou  seen  all  this  multitude?  Behold,  I  will  deliver  it 
into  thy  hand  this  day,  and  thou  shalt  know  that  I  am 
the  Lord."  Then  Ahab  went  out  against  the  besiegers 
and  put  them  to  flight ;  but  unfortunately  the  pursuit  was 
not  followed  up.  He  went  back,  congratulating  himself  on 
his  momentary  success.  Meanwhile  the  Syrian  king,  hav- 
ing recovered  from  his  inebriety,  called  his  councillors  to- 
gether. They  said,  "  The  God  of  the  Israelites  is  a  God  of 
the  mountains :  go  out  against  them  and  entice  them  into 
the  plains."  In  pursuance  of  this  advice  he  rallied  his 
army  for  another  assault.  Then  the  prophet  came  again 
to  Ahab  and  said,  "  Thou  hast  another  opportunity.  Thus 
saith  the  Lord, '  Because  Ben-hadad  has  said,  The  God  of 
the  Israelites  is  the  God  of  the  hills  and  not  of  the  valleys, 


A   BUSY    MAN'S   BLUNDER.  1 57 

go  out  against  him,  and  thou  shalt  know  that  I  am  God.'  " 
Then  followed  another  terrible  battle,  in  which  the  Syri- 
ans were  overwhelmed  ;  the  ground  was  covered  with  their 
dead.  Ben-hadad  and  his  body-guard  of  lieutenants  and 
commanders,  after  hiding  for  a  season,  came  out  and  sur- 
rendered with  sackcloth  on  their  loins  and  ropes  around 
their  necks.  Then  Ahab,  soft-hearted,  vainglorious,  un- 
mindful of  his  great  commission,  proud  of  showing  favor 
to  the  illustrious  power  of  Syria,  spared  his  royal  captive. 
He  called  him  "  My  brother ;"  he  invited  him  into  his 
chariot ;  he  entered  into  an  alliance  with  him.  So  he  lost 
his  advantage  and  fell  short  of  his  opportunity;  like  a 
truant  boy  who  goes  bird-nesting  when  he  ought  to  be 
plodding  through  the  rule  of  three. 

The  Lord  is  a  persistent  teacher,  and  if  it  be  possible 
will  teach  Ahab  yet.  Now  it  is  by  an  acted  parable.  As 
the  king  sits  in  his  council-chamber  a  sorely  wounded  sol- 
dier enters.  He  is  under  sentence  of  death  and  begs  for 
mercy.  This  is  the  story  he  tells :  "  O  my  lord,  I  went 
forth  into  the  midst  of  battle  and  a  captive  was  brought 
unto  me  by  one  who  said,  '  Keep  him ;  if  he  escape,  thy 
life  for  his  life ;'  and  while  I  was  busy  here  and  there,  ab- 
sorbed in  the  interest  of  that  fierce  hour,  carried  away  by 
the  enthusiasm  of  conflict,  lo  he  was  gone  !"  The  king 
cast  upon  him  an  angry  glance,  saying,  "  So  shall  thy 
judgment  be ;  thou  hast  spoken  it ;  away  to  thy  death  !" 
Then  the  soldier  threw  off  his  disguise  and  stood  forth 
in  the  prophet's  garb.  It  was  Micaiah.  "  O  king,  be  it 
unto  thee  as  thou  hast  said :  thou  art  the  culprit ;  to  thee 
was  entrusted  a  great  commission;  thou  mightest  have 
made  for  thyself  an  immortal  name  in  the  chronicles  of 
Israel ;  the  opportunity  was  thine ;  thou  hast  lost  it. 
Busy  about  thine  own  affairs,  thou   hast  forgotten  thy 


153  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

nobler  tasks;  the  judgment  hath  gone  forth,  the  king- 
dom shall  be  taken  from  thee." 

I  speak  to  busy  men  and  women.  The  streets  are 
thronged  with  an  eager,  hurrying  crowd,  busy,  all  busy, 
each  in  his  own  province  eager  to  win  success.  We  live 
in  a  busy  age,  a  busy  land,  a  busy  city.  There  is  no  rest. 
The  very  children  on  their  way  to  school  seem  over-ear- 
nest. The  brows  which  are  presently  to  be  furrowed  with 
the  sorrow  of  increasing  years  are  already  knit  with  care. 
All  are  intent  on  getting  on  in  the  world. 

What  is  the  secret  of  success  ?  Sir  Walter  Scott  said, 
11  If  you  would  succeed,  beware  of  dawdling."  There  is 
little  danger  of  dawdling  in  our  tense  American  life.  Be- 
ware rather  of  over-earnestness  in  the  sordid  affairs  of  life ; 
beware  of  squandering  the  vital  forces ;  beware  of  burning 
life's  candle  at  both  ends. 

One  of  our  recent  millionaires  said,  "The  secret  of 
success  is  to  do  one  thing."  No,  this  were  to  attain  but 
the  briefest  and  the  narrowest  success.  Do  two  things 
and  do  them  well,  for  we  are  creatures  of  two  worlds. 
We  must  needs  attend  to  the  affairs  of  the  shop  and  the 
office,  the  brod-iind-batterschaft,  and  we  must  never  for- 
get the  higher  tasks.  The  carpenter  of  Nazareth  did  hon- 
est work  at  his  bench,  but  all  the  while  his  heart  was  say- 
ing, "  I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized  with,  and  how  my 
soul  is  straitened  until  I  shall  accomplish  it !"  Be  faithful, 
O  friend,  in  the  common  duties  of  this  lower  world;  but 
oh  remember  that  to  seek  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness  is  first  of  all. 

Jules  Simon  says,  "  The  secret  of  success  is  to  be  free. 
If  one  is  free,  soul  and  body,  he  can  do  whatsoever  he 
will."  True  indeed.  Down  at  the  prison-house  at  Gaza 
the  strong  man,  blind  and  fettered,  is  grinding  at  the  mill. 


A   BUSY   MAN'S   BLUNDER.  1 59 

The  heavens  are  blue  above  him,  the  fields  are  verdant, 
the  vineyards  on  the  hillsides  are  purpling  for  the  vint- 
age ;  but,  alas,  he  sees  it  not,  his  eyes  are  out ;  the  task- 
master stands  over  him  crying,  "  Grind  on !"  The  merry- 
makers are  dancing ;  little  children  laugh  as  they  pass  by  ; 
it  is  nothing  to  him.  Grind  on  !  Grind  on  !  So  many  a 
man  lives,  bound  to  the  tasks  of  his  shop  or  office,  seeing 
no  visions,  though  the  windows  of  heaven  are  open  above 
him,  and  having  no  interest  in  the  nobler  pursuits  of  life 
around  him,  for  ever  grinding  at  the  mill,  all  his  powers 
absorbed  in  the  accomplishing  of  some  narrow,  selfish  end, 
a  mean  ambition  holding  over  him  a  whip  of  scorpions 
and  crying,  "  Grind  on  !"  until  at  last,  with  groping,  trem- 
ulous hands,  he  finds  the  pillars,  and  life,  like  Dagon's 
temple,  comes  crashing  down  upon  him.  O  God,  open 
our  blind  eyes,  break  off  our  fetters,  and  for  the  accom- 
plishing of  our  important  tasks  give  us  that  glorious  free- 
dom with  which  the  truth  makes  free  ! 

I  say  therefore  to  you,  busy  men  and  women,  cum- 
bered with  serving,  absorbed  in  the  round  of  earthly 
cares,  stop  and  think.  Give  yourselves  time  and  oppor- 
tunity to  dwell  upon  the  great  issues  which  reach  on  for 
ever.  Loose  yourselves  from  the  bands  of  sensual  servi- 
tude, lift  your  eyes  from  the  muck-rake  affairs,  the  get- 
ting and  hoarding  of  this  world.     Stop  and  think. 

Think  of  what  ? 

I.  I  live  for  ever  ;  think  of  that.  The  moth  flies  in  at 
the  window,  circles  about  the  candle,  singes  its  poor  wings, 
flutters  and  dies.  The  eagle  mounts  upward,  kindling  its 
eyes  at  the  sun  of  heaven ;  an  arrow  pierces  it — it  falls 
and  dies.  A  lion  roams  the  forest,  falls  into  the  pit  which 
the  hunter  has  prepared  for  it,  struggles  in  vain,  roars  in 
its  strong  agony  and  dies.     And  man — he  lives,  bears  his 


l60  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

burdens,  meets  his  responsibilities,  bows  under  his  sor- 
rows, dreams  dreams  and  sees  visions,  hopes,  suffers, 
agonizes  and — dies  ?  Oh  no.  His  friends  bend  over  him 
and  say  the  man  is  dead ;  but  he  lives — lives  on  for  ever. 
His  body  returns  to  the  earth  as  it  was,  but  his  spirit  to 
God  who  gave  it. 

And  in  this  he  has  dominion  over  all  lower  forms  of  be- 
ing. He  shares  the  immortality  of  that  God  who  breathed 
into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  an  endless  life.  The  ever- 
lasting hills  shall  crumble  to  their  bases,  the  last  blade  of 
grass  shall  wither  in  the  verdant  fields,  the  last  drop  of 
water  shall  be  exhaled  from  the  ocean,  the  world  shall  be 
burned  until  it  is  scorched  and  barren  as  yon  ruined  moon, 
the  heavens  themselves  shall  be  rolled  up  as  a  parched 
scroll,  the  last  star  in  the  firmament  shall  blink  like  a 
sleepy  eye  and  then  be  quenched  ;  but  you  and  I,  chil- 
dren of  the  immortal  God,  shall  live  on  for  ever  and  for 
ever. 

Do  you  ask  proof  of  immortality  ?  It  is  forthcoming, 
not  from  the  preacher's  lips,  but  in  the  voice  of  the  angel 
that  dwells  in  every  human  soul.  Ask  of  yourself,  "  If  a 
man  die  shall  he  live  again  ?"  and  hear  from  within  the 
answer,  "  I  shall  live  and  not  die." 

The  fisherman  loves  his  boat.  It  has  shared  with  him 
the  dangers  of  the  stormy  sea.  He  loves  its  tiller,  the 
oars  worn  by  the  heavy  grasp  of  his  calloused  hands. 
But  after  a  while  its  seams  gap  open  and  his  boat  wears 
out.  He  draws  it  up  upon  the  sands  and  goes  on  plying 
his  trade  in  a  new  boat.  I  am  the  boatman,  my  body  is 
the  boat;  my  body,  worn  out  at  last,  is  beached,  but  I  toil 
on. 

II.  Life  here  is  the  key  of  life  hereafter.  Stop  and 
think  of  that.     Death  is  important,  not  as  being  the  end 


A   BUSY   MAN'S   BLUNDER.  l6l 

of  life,  but  rather  as  being  its  commencement.  Death 
ends  probation,  that  is  all.  It  marks  the  crystallization 
of  character.  "  He  that  is  unjust,  let  him  be  unjust  still ; 
and  he  that  is  filthy,  let  him  be  filthy  still;  he  that  is 
righteous,  let  him  be  righteous  still ;  and  he  that  is  holy, 
let  him  be  holy  still." 

The  penalty  of  faithlessness  is  to  lose  one's  opportu- 
nity of  reaching  the  noble  end.  No  pain  of  retribution 
can  be  more  terrible  than  that  which  was  involved  in  the 
Master's  curse  upon  the  barren  tree  :  "  No  man  eat  fruit 
of  thee  for  ever !"  This  is  to  lose  one's  life,  to  lose  the 
noblest  and  blessedest  part  of  it. 

The  reward  of  faithfulness  is  promotion  to  higher 
tasks.  He  that  is  faithful  in  a  little  shall  be  made  to  rule 
over  ten  cities.  With  powers  enlarged,  with  possibilities 
and  opportunities  multiplied,  we  shall  go  on  doing  good 
and  serving  God  through  the  endless  ages. 

Death  determines  whether  the  penalty  of  faithlessness 
or  the  reward  of  faithfulness  shall  be  accorded  to  us.  On 
the  night  when  John  Bradford  was  sentenced  to  death 
the  jailer's  wife  came  running  in  and  said,  "  O  Mr.  Brad- 
ford, I  bring  thee  heavy  tidings  !  To-morrow  thou  diest ! 
The  men  are  even  now  gathering  the  fagots  for  the  fire." 
He  answered,  "Good  dame,  why  tremblest?  What 
matters  it  whether  I  die  to-morrow  or  the  day  after  ?  I 
am  quite  ready." 

III.  Duty  is  the  principal  thing.  Here  is  something 
worthy  of  your  attention.     Stop  and  think  of  it. 

Duty  is  the  thing  which  is  due.     To  whom  ? 

(i.)  To  one's  self.     It  is  a  matter  of  the  utmost  mo- 
ment that  a  man  shall  make  the  most  of  himself.     That 
was  a  gracious  word  which  was  spoken  by  Norman  Mac- 
Leod in  old  Barony  Kirk  in  his  eulogy  of  Prince  Albert, 
ii 


162  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

"  The  most  valuable  thing  he  left  was  character."  And, 
indeed,  the  good  prince  could  scarcely  have  left  a  more 
valuable  thing. 

(2.)  Duty  is  what  we  owe  to  others.  The  old  poet 
Daniel  said  wisely, 

"  Unless  he  can 
Erect  himself  above  himself, 
How  poor  a  thing  is  man." 

It  behooves  us  all  as  well-meaning  people  to  do  good  as 
we  have  opportunity  unto  all  men. 

(3.)  The  summit  of  duty  is  what  we  owe  to  God.  Not 
merely  to  worship  him,  but  to  live  for  his  glory.  There 
is  no  more  beautiful  ruin  than  Melrose  Abbey ;  its  out- 
lines are  so  graceful,  its  sculptures  so  delicate.  Climb  up 
along  its  columns  and  look  in  between  the  scrolls  of  its 
capitals,  and  you  shall  see  that  all  its  carvings,  even 
where  there  was  no  probability  that  any  human  eye  should 
see,  are  almost  as  delicate  as  lace.  It  means  that  the 
devout  old  monks  and  other  workmen  wrought  as  being 
mindful  that  God  would  see.  Oh  that  we  might  thus  be 
ever  living  as  under  the  great  Taskmaster's  eye  1  All 
that  we  do,  though  it  be  only  to  eat  or  drink,  should  be 
done  to  the  glory  of  God. 

These  are  thoughts  to  dwell  upon  amid  the  hurry  of 
our  daily  life.  Let  us  look  forth  as  from  the  windows  of 
a  high  tower  upon  the  blessed  things  of  the  far  country  ; 
let  us  be  mindful  that  our  life  here  is  only  a  hand- 
breadth,  while  its  issues  reach  on  through  countless 
ages. 

Life  is  our  prisoner.  Alas  !  if  we  should  lose  it.  "  For 
what  shall  a  man  be  profited,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole 
world  and  forfeit  his  life  ?  or  what  shall  a  man   pive  in 


A   BUSY    MAN'S   BLUNDER.  163 

exchange  for  his  life  ?"*  Have  you  wasted  it  thus  far  ? 
The  blood  cleanseth :  be  forgiven  and  let  the  past  suffice 
for  the  working  of  the  will  of  the  flesh.  Now  begin  to 
live.  Lord  Bacon  said  many  wise  things,  but  never  a 
wiser  than  this :  "  Not  to  resolve  is  to  resolve  not."  To 
postpone  the  great  decision  is  to  refuse  to  make  it — yes, 
even  worse,  is  to  decide  against  God  and  heaven  and 
eternal  blessedness. 

"  To-morrow  !  and  to-morrow !  and  to-morrow ! 
Creeps  in  this  petty  pace  from  day  to  day 
Till  the  last  syllable  of  recorded  time, 
And  all  our  yesterdays  have  lighted  fools 
The  way  to  dusty  death." 

If  these  considerations  seem  just  and  weighty,  let  us 
act  upon  them ;  if  in  our  past  life  we  have  neglected  the 
important  things  of  eternity,  let  us  trifle  no  longer,  let  us 
be  wise  to-day. 

*  Revised  Version. 


164  "THE   MORNING   COMETH. 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  JESUS. 


"And  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days  that  Jesus  came  from  Nazareth 
of  Galilee,  and  was  baptized  of  John  in  Jordan.  And  straight- 
way coming  up  out  of  the  water,  he  saw  the  heavens  opened 
and  the  Spirit,  like  a  dove,  descending  upon  him:  and  there 
came  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying,  Thou  art  my  beloved  Son, 
in  whom  I  am  well  pleased."    Mark  1:9-11. 

"  In  those  days  " — that  is,  in  the  days  of  the  world's 
despair.  The  lights  were  gone  out  in  the  sanctuary. 
There  was  no  more  open  vision.  The  oracles  were  dumb. 
The  gods,  exposed  and  derided,  had  fallen  from  their 
pedestals  and  lay  with  their  faces  in  the  dust.  The  phi- 
losophers were  put  to  an  open  shame.  The  rabbis  of 
Israel  were  chattering  about  mint  and  anise  and  cummin. 
The  people  had  settled  down  into  confessed  and  hopeless 
apathy. 

The  spirit  of  the  age  found  expression  in  such  ques- 
tions as,  Is  there  a  God  ?  What  is  truth  ?  If  a  man  die, 
will  he  live  again  ?  Is  there  anything  better  than  to  eat, 
drink,  and  be  merry  ? 

"  On  that  hard  pagan  world  disgust 
And  sated  loathing  fell ; 
Deep  weariness  and  sated  lust 
Made  human  life  a  hell. 

"  In  his  cool  hall  with  haggard  eyes 
The  Roman  noble  lay, 
He  drove  abroad  in  furious  guise 
Along  the  Appian  Way. 


THE   BAPTISM   OF  JESUS.  165 

He  made  a  feast,  drank  fierce  and  fast, 
And  crowned  his  hair  with  flowers  ; 

No  easier  nor  no  quicker  passed 
The  impracticable  hours." 

In  those  days  there  was  a  carpenter  in  the  town  of 
Nazareth  who  was  destined  to  wield  the  sceptre  of  the 
ages.  He  was  waiting  for  the  fulness  of  time,  and  mean- 
while he  wrought  steadily  at  his  lower  tasks.  The  farmer 
came  with  his  wooden  plough,  the  village  dame  with  her 
decrepit  furniture,  and  he  mended  them.  The  children 
of  the  village  passed  by  his  door ;  he  smiled  upon  them, 
spoke  a  cheery  word,  and  they  went  their  way.  As  he 
stood  among  the  shavings,  plying  the  implements  of  his 
trade,  he  must  oftentimes  have  murmured,  "  I  have  a 
baptism  to  be  baptized  with,  and  how  is  my  soul  strait- 
ened until  it  shall  be  accomplished  !" 

In  those  days  came  John  the  Baptist,  preaching  and 
saying,  "  Repent  ye,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at 
hand."  Out  of  the  wilderness,  clad  in  a  prophet's  garb, 
with  a  hempen  cord  about  his  loins,  a  gaunt,  stern 
man,  he  came  announcing  the  coming  of  the  Christ. 
"  The  woodman  cometh,"  he  cried,  "  with  an  axe  in  his 
hand,  and  he  will  lay  it  at  the  root  of  the  tree,  and  every 
barren  tree  shall  be  cut  down  and  cast  into  the  fire." 
"  The  winnower  cometh,"  he  cried,  "  with  fan  in  hand, 
and  he  shall  surely  purge  the  floor  and  the  chaff  shall  be 
cast  into  unquenchable  fire."  A  strange  gospel  this,  a 
strange  heralding  of  the  Prince  of  Peace — the  axe,  the 
fan,  and  always  the  unquenchable  fire !  Repent  ye ! 
repent  ye !  for  He  cometh  whose  shoe's  latchet  I  am  not 
worthy  to  loose. 

The  air  is  close  and  heavy  before  the  storm ;  the 
skies  are  yellow;  we  struggle  for  breath.     Then  comes 


166  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

the  tempest ;  the  clouds  sweep  overhead,  the  winds  roar 
through  the  forest  like  voices  of  fury;  the  trees  are 
twisted  and  torn,  the  windows  above  are  opened;  the 
skies  are  seamed  with  lurid  lightnings,  like  knotted  and 
swollen  veins  upon  an  angry  face.  Then  comes  the  lull 
of  the  tempest,  calm  and  silence,  sunshine  and  the  sing- 
ing of  birds,  and  you  throw  your  shoulders  back  and 
breathe ;  the  whole  world  is  brighter  and  better  for  the 
storm.  So  came  John  the  Baptist  preaching  of  the  axe 
and  the  winnowing-fan  and  preparing  the  way  for  the 
Prince  of  Peace. 

One  day  he  was  baptizing  at  the  water's  edge  at  Beth- 
abara.  The  bank  of  the  swift  Jordan  was  lined  with  the 
eager  multitudes  who  had  come  thronging  from  Jerusalem 
and  Judaea,  the  regions  round  about.  "  Repent  ye !  re- 
pent ye !"  rang  his  voice  above  the  roar  of  the  swift-roll- 
ing, tumultuous  river.  "  Cast  up  a  highway  for  the  coming 
of  the  King  !"  One  and  another  of  his  hearers  came  down 
to  the  water's  edge,  saying,  "  I  repent ;  baptize  me."  The 
day  waned;  it  was  towards  eventide.  Then  one  de- 
tached himself  from  the  crowd  and  came  down  towards 
the  river — a  man  of  the  people  in  homespun  garb,  before 
whom  the  prophet  of  the  wilderness  quailed  and  trembling 
cried,  "  Behold !  behold  the  Lamb  of  God !" 

And  as  Jesus  came  near  he  said,  "  Not  thou,  O  Mas- 
ter. I  am  the  unworthy  one  !  I  have  need  to  be  baptized 
of  thee."  And  Jesus  answered,  "  Suffer  it  to  be  so  now, 
for  thus  it  becometh  me  to  fulfil  all  righteousness."  Then 
the  heavens  were  opened  above  and  a  blessed  commerce 
began — prayers  ascending  and  blessings  returning — which 
never  has  ceased  until  this  day.  And  down  from  above 
came  the  Spirit  of  God  in  form  like  a  brooding  dove, 
symbolizing  the  descent  of  peace  to  the  sin-troubled  world, 


THE   BAPTISM    OF   JESUS.  167 

and  bringing  to  earth  a  benediction  that  passeth  all  un- 
derstanding. And  a  voice  was  heard,  "  This  is  my  be- 
loved Son."  It  was  heard  afterward,  again  and  again.  Some 
said,  "  It  thundereth,"  and  they  spake  well,  for  it  was  in- 
deed a  tremendous  truth  that  was  uttered,  "  This  is  my 
beloved  Son."  O  friend,  have  you  ever  heard  it  uttered 
in  reverberating  tones  from  heaven  ?  "  This  is  my  be- 
loved Son ;  hear  ye  him." 

What  was  the  significance  of  all  this  ?  What  is  the 
meaning  of  this  baptism  of  Jesus  ?  It  was  the  formal 
induction  into  the  active  duties  of  his  mediatorial  office. 
He  would  return  to  the  carpenter's  shop  no  more.  In 
vain  shall  the  farmer  bring  his  plough.  Little  children  will 
look  wonderingly  at  the  closed  door.  The  saw  will  hang 
against  the  wall,  the  dust  lie  thick  upon  the  bench,  the 
shavings  be  undisturbed  on  the  floor.  The  carpenter 
of  Nazareth  has  left  his  lower  tasks  and  entered  upon  his 
ministry.  The  hour  has  come;  his  soul  shall  be  straitened 
no  more. 

What  does  this  mean  for  us  ? 

I.  To-day  he  enters  with  us  into  the  fellowship  of 
duty.  Thus  it  becometh  me,  he  said,  to  fulfil  all  right- 
eousness. He  was  a  loyal  Jew,  and  the  new  economy 
had  not  begun  as  yet.  If  a  son  of  Levi  must  be  washed 
at  the  brazen  laver  on  assuming  his  ministerial  functions, 
so  shall  Jesus ;  but  instead  of  the  temple  we  have  the  deep 
valley  and  the  overarching  skies ;  instead  of  the  laver, 
the  swift-flowing  Jordan ;  instead  of  the  anointing,  the  de- 
scent of  the  dove,  the  Spirit  of  God. 

This  Jesus  is  the  source  and  centre  of  all  the  right 
precepts  and  injunctions  ;  his  heart  is  the  throne  of  law  ; 
the  writings  of  Sinai  are  the  flashings  of  his  eye ;  yet 
under    the    Law    he  bows   and    passes   into   servitude. 


TOo  "THE   MORNING   COMETH. 

Though  equal  with  God,  he  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a 
servant  and  became  obedient.  The  inaugural  rite  is  his 
bounden  duty  ;  to  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice.  "  Thus  it 
becometh  me,  as  the  ideal  man,  the  Son  of  man,  to  fulfil 
all  righteousness."  If  he  thus  respected  the  humblest 
duty,  then  surely,  beloved,  the  same  is  becoming  in  us. 

There  is  no  nobler  word  in  all  our  vocabulary  than 
"  duty."  Our  mere  apprehension  of  moral  obligation  is 
the  token  of  our  divine  lineage.  An  infant  grasps  at  the 
stars.  No  offspring  of  the  lower  orders  does  it.  Time 
passes  and  the  infant,  grown  to  manhood,  still  reaches  for 
the  stars.  But  they  are  far  away  ;  and  the  interstellar 
spaces  are  infinite.  The  province  of  duty  is  our  vast  uni- 
verse. When  we  have  done  our  best  we  must  still  confess, 
"  I  count  not  myself  to  have  apprehended."  The  stars  are 
still  far  away.  But  this  is  God-like,  to  reach  forth,  to 
strive  after  character,  to  obey,  to  fulfil  all  righteousness  to 
the  utmost  of  our  power.  Jesus  revered  his  duty ;  so  let 
us  bow  to  ours. 

II.  In  this  ordinance  our  blessed  Lord  comes  with  us 
into  the  fellowship  of  penitence.  We  mourn  sometimes 
that  at  the  tenderest  point  of  human  life  and  experience  he 
cannot  feel  with  us,  for  he  was  human  in  all  points,  yet 
without  sin.  He  could  not  indeed  mourn  over  personal 
sin.  Of  all  the  multitude  that  lined  the  Jordan  bank, 
hearkening  to  John's  call  to  repentance,  he  alone  could 
say,  "  I  need  it  not." 

And  yet  there  is  a  sense  in  which  Jesus  can  sympathize 
with  our  sorrow  for  sin.  He  took  upon  himself  the  bur- 
den of  our  transgressions  ;  he  identified  himself  with  us  in 
our  attitude  of  guilt  before  the  offended  law.  He  was  no 
sinner,  and  yet  in  our  behalf  he  became  the  very  chief  of 
sinners,  for  the  world's  sin  was  laid  upon  him.      He  felt 


THE  BAPTISM    OF  JESUS.  169 

our  pain,  our  contrition,  our  despair;  all  that  sin  entails 
upon  a  guilty  soul  he  bore  for  us. 

A  strange  thing  happened  recently  in  one  of  our  courts 
of  justice.  A  young  man  was  asked  if  he  had  aught  to  say 
why  the  extreme  penalty  should  not  be  passed  upon  him. 
At  that  moment  a  gray-haired  man,  his  face  furrowed 
with  sorrow,  stepped  into  the  prisoner's  box  unhindered, 
placed  his  hand  affectionately  upon  the  culprit's  shoulder, 
and  said,  "  Your  honor,  we  have  nothing  to  say.  The 
verdict  which  has  been  found  against  us  is  just.  We  have 
only  to  ask  for  mercy."  "  We  !" — there  was  nothing 
against  this  old  father;  yet  in  that  moment  he  lost  himself; 
he  identified  his  very  being  with  that  of  his  wayward  boy. 

So  Christ  in  this  baptism  pushes  his  way  to  a  place 
beside  us,  lays  his  hand  upon  the  sinner's  shoulder,  and 
bears  the  shame  and  sorrow  with  him.  Oh  presently,  up 
yonder,  he  will  stand  beside  us ;  again  we  shall  be  silent 
and  shamefaced,  but  he  will  speak :  "  Thou  Judge  of  all 
the  earth,  true  and  righteous  altogether,  the  sentence  has 
gone  forth  justly  against  this  man ;  but  I  have  borne  his 
penalty ;  my  heart  broke  on  Calvary  under  the  burden  of 
his  sin;  for  my  sake  let  him  go  free."  So  it  is  written, 
"  He  was  numbered  with  the  transgressors ;  he  bare  the 
sins  of  many ;  the  Lord  hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of 
us  all." 

III.  He  enters  also  in  this  inaugural  ordinance  into  the 
fellowship  of  divine  filiation  with  us.  "  Thou,"  said  the 
voice  from  above,  "  art  my  beloved  Son."  We  were  alien- 
ated from  the  Heavenly  Father;  but  in  the  sonship  of 
Jesus  the  way  of  restoration  is  opened  unto  us.  He  be- 
comes the  first-born  among  many  brethren ;  in  him  we 
receive  the  spirit  of  adoption,  whereby  we  cry,  "  Abba ! 
Father !" 


170  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

Thanks  be  to  God  for  this  voice  of  thunder,  "  Thou 
art  my  Son."  We  have  heard  it  reverberating-  along  the 
corridors  of  truth.  The  scriptures  are  full  of  the  sonship 
of  Jesus.  He  walks  amid  the  oracles,  his  face  like  the  sun 
shining  in  his  strength.  We  have  heard  it  in  the  story  of 
personal  experience :  the  sorrowing  Magdalens,  the  peni- 
tent thieves,  the  weeping  Peters  of  all  the  centuries,  have 
certified  to  the  grace  of  the  Elder  Brother  as  the  only- 
begotten  of  God.  We  have  heard  it  in  history.  There  is 
a  mingled  sound  of  falling  thrones  and  dynasties,  of  ham- 
mers and  trowels  among  the  stones  of  rising  temples,  of 
the  rustling  wings  of  the  angels  of  the  morning,  of  the 
singing  of  the  nations  that  were  once  in  darkness  and  the 
shadow  of  death,  like  the  sound  of  many  waters,  like  the 
reverberance  of  the  heavens,  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son." 
Oh  sweet  and  blessed  fellowship  !  We  are  his  humble 
brethren,  and  there  is  something  more  in  Christ  Jesus 
still  before  us  :  "  Now  are  we  the  sons  of  God,  and  it  doth 
not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be." 

The  grace  of  the  infinite  God  came  down  to  earth  as 
Pharaoh's  daughter  came  down  to  the  river  side,  and  found 
us  helpless,  motherless,  famishing.  It  has  taken  us  up  to 
the  King's  house,  brought  us  to  the  King's  table,  clothed 
us  in  purple,  and  given  us  the  assurance  of  a  royal  inher- 
itance. We  also  are  sons  and  daughters  of  the  living 
God.  Not  like  Jesus  indeed.  Oh  !  there  is  a  bridgeless 
gulf  between  his  affiliation  with  God  and  ours ;  he  is  the 
11  Only-Begotten  ;"  and  yet  we  are  acknowledged  in  the 
Beloved  as  children  of  God.  The  time  will  come  when 
the  full  significance  of  this  will  be  revealed  to  us.  Mean- 
while we  pass  here  our  years  of  apprenticeship;  doing 
faithful  work  in  the  province  of  duty ;  earnest,  steadfast, 
hopeful ;  mending  ploughs  and  harrows  in  the  shop,  until 


THE   BAPTISM    OF  JESUS.  171 

one  bright  day  we  too  shall  be  called  away  to  hear  the 
voice,  "  Thou  art  my  beloved  son !"  Let  us  bow  our 
backs  cheerfully  to  the  burden ;  let  us  acquiesce  in  salu- 
tary discipline;  let  us  with  lowly  heart  receive  the  full 
blessing  of  our  divine  adoption  ;  and  oh !  let  us  love  with 
pure  hearts,  fervently,  this  Brother  of  ours  by  whose  me- 
diation we  have  the  great  inheritance,  whose  right  hand 
will  presently  lead  us  through  the  door  of  the  Father's 
house  to  the  Father's  table,  where  we  shall  abide  as  mem- 
bers of  the  family  of  God ! 


l72  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 


THE  PHARISEE'S  PRAYER. 


"  The  Pharisee  stood  and  prayed  thus  with  himself,  God,  I  thank 
thee  that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are,  extortioners,  unjust, 
adulterers,  or  even  as  this  publican.  I  fast  twice  in  the  week, 
I  give  tithes  of  all  that  I  possess."    Luke  iS  :  n,  12. 

If  we  should  be  unsaved,  the  Lord  will  be  blameless. 
He  has  wooed  us  and  warned  us  to  the  utmost.  He  has 
set  before  us  a  multitude  of  exceeding  great  and  precious 
promises  covering  the  present  time  and  reaching  out  unto 
the  life  everlasting,  and  he  has  compassed  us  about  with 
admonitions.  It  is  written,  ((  A  reproof  entereth  more  into 
a  wise  man  than  a  hundred  stripes  into  a  fool."  The 
Lord  knew  whereof  he  spake  ;  the  traps  and  the  pitfalls  of 
the  journey  were  all  known  to  him.  His  warnings  are 
like  beacons  kindled  along  the  way. 

Here  is  one.  A  man  in  the  night  and  the  solitude  is 
conning  his  ledger.  He  congratulates  himself  on  his 
magnificent  profits.  "  What  shall  I  do  ?"  he  murmurs ; 
"  my  goods  are  greatly  increased.  I  will  tear  down  my 
barns  and  build  greater ;  I  will  say  to  my  soul,  Soul,  thou 
hast  much  goods  laid  up  for  many  years ;  take  thine  ease, 
eat,  drink,  and  be  merry."  And  a  voice  breaks  in  upon 
his  soliloquy,  "  Thou  fool !  this  night  thy  soul  shall  be  re- 
quired of  thee :  then  whose  shall  those  things  be  which 
thou  hast  provided  ?"  And  what  is  the  lesson  ?  Beware 
of  avarice,  of  covetousness,  of  a  selfish  life. 

Here  is  another  of  these  beacons.  A  man  stands  at 
the  corner  of  the  street  making  his  long  prayer.     Broad 


THE   PHARISEE'S  PRAYER.  1 73 

are  his  ceremonial  fringes  and  conspicuous  is  the  band 
upon  his  forehead,  upon  which  is  written,  "  Hear,  O 
Israel,  the  Lord,  thy  God,  is  one  Lord."  He  drops 
his  eyes,  he  folds  his  hands.  The  people  who  pass  by 
behold  him  with  admiration,  saying,  "This  is  a  holy 
man."  But  the  Voice  breaks  in  upon  his  devotion,  "  Woe 
unto  thee,  O  rabbi !  praying  in  order  to  be  seen  of  men  ; 
how  shalt  thou  escape  the  damnation  of  hell  ?"  What  is 
the  lesson  ?  Take  heed  and  beware  of  hypocrisy,  of  wear- 
ing a  mask  and  of  seeming  to  be  better  than  thou  art. 

And  here  are  five  virgins,  sleeping  by  the  wayside  in 
the  flickering  light  of  their  expiring  lamps.  At  the  cry, 
"  Behold,  the  bridegroom  cometh !"  they  arise  and  rub  the 
slumber  from  their  eyes,  trim  their  lamps,  and  hasten  to 
the  bridegroom's  house.  Too  late !  They  knock  and 
cry,  "  Lord  !  Lord  !  open  unto  us  !"  And  the  voice  from 
within  answers,  "  I  never  knew  you."  And  the  lesson  ? 
Beware  of  procrastination,  of  heedlessness,  of  putting  off 
thy  duty.     Be  wise  to-day. 

Here  is  a  group  of  malefactors  on  their  way  to  execu- 
tion, their  faces  fallen  upon  their  breasts,  their  hands 
manacled.  What  have  they  done?  To  them  was  com- 
mitted the  husbandman's  estate.  The  just  demand  for 
recompense  was  refused  again  and  again.  At  length  the 
Master  sent  his  beloved  son,  saying,  "  Surely  they  will  heed 
him."  But  they  stoned  him  and  cast  him  out;  wherefore 
they  are  sentenced  to  death,  and  with  manifest  justice. 
What  will  the  Master  teach  thereby  ?  Beware  of  adding 
to  the  category  of  thy  many  sins  the  crowning  iniquity  of 
rejecting  the  King's  Son. 

So  are  we  admonished  again  and  again  by  these  para- 
bolic figures,  clear  and  impressive  as  those  living  torches 
which  Nero  cruelly  kindled  along  the  Roman  ways. 


174  "THE  MORNING   COMETH. 

This  Pharisee  is  one  of  them.  His  sin  was  self- right- 
eousness. The  Lord  spake  this  parable,  as  it  is  written, 
'*  unto  certain  that  trusted  in  themselves  that  they  were 
righteous,  and  despised  others." 

There  is  danger  of  passing  a  too  severe  judgment  on 
this  man.     There  are  some  things  to  be  said  in  his  favor, 

First,  he  was  no  hypocrite.  Among  his  co-reli- 
gionists there  were  those  who  pretended  to  be  what  they 
knew  they  were  not.  But  this  man  thought  himself  to  be 
righteous  and  frankly  said  so.  He  would  not  have  been 
honest  otherwise.  Had  he  confessed  himself  a  sinner 
while  believing  himself  to  be  a  saint,  he  would  have  been 
a  hypocrite.  God  desireth  truth  in  the  inmost  parts.  The 
meanest  of  all  sins  is  hypocrisy.  It  is  something  to  be 
able  to  absolve  an  evil-doer  of  this. 

"  God  knows  I  'm  no  the  thing  I  should  be, 
Nor  am  I  e'en  the  thing  I  could  be ; 
But  twenty  times  I  rather  would  be 

An  atheist  clean, 
Than  under  gospel  colors  hid  be 

Just  for  a  screen." 

Secoyid,  he  was  no  flagrant  malefactor.  He  was  not, 
as  he  said,  "  like  other  men."  Near  by  stood  a  money- 
changer, an  extortioner,  a  very  Shylock,  wont  to  devour 
widows'  houses  and  grind  the  faces  of  the  poor.  "  I  thank 
thee,  Lord,  that  I  am  not  like  this  man."  Yonder  stood 
an  adulterer,  his  name  bandied  about  from  mouth  to 
mouth,  his  offence  an  open  scandal  against  the  church. 
"  I  thank  thee,  Lord,"  said  our  Piiarisee  very  justly,  "  that 
I  am  not  like  this  man."  Off  yonder  stood  a  publican, 
shame-faced,  beating  on  his  breast,  as  well  he  might,  for 
was  he  not  a  wretched  renegade,  an  apostate  from  Israel  ? 
"  I  thank  thee,"  said  our  Pharisee  again,  "  that  I  am  not 


THE   PHARISEES   PRAYER.  1 75 

like  this  man."     Let  us  give  him  his  utmost  due.     He 
avoided  the  conspicuous  vices ;  he  was  a  moral  man. 

Third,  he  was  no  infidel.  On  the  other  hand,  he  was 
scrupulous  in  his  attendance  to  the  requirements  of  the 
ceremonial  law.  No  doubt  he  occupied  one  of  the  high- 
est seats  in  the  synagogue.  He  was,  as  we  say,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church  in  good  and  regular  standing.  He  hon- 
ored the  stated  appointments.  "  I  fast  twice  every  week,"  k 
said  he.  The  law  required  him  to  fast  only  on  the  great 
Day  of  Atonement — just  one  day  in  each  year — but  he 
accumulated  virtue  by  abstaining  from  food  every  Monday 
and  Thursday.  "  I  pay  tithes  of  all  I  possess."  This  also 
was  beyond  the  necessity  of  the  case.  The  law  required 
only  a  tithe  of  the  income.  This  man,  however,  was 
known  as  a  great  giver — a  giver  of  the  tithe  of  his  mint 
and  anise  and  cummin.  In  all  these  things  our  Pharisee 
was  right  in  saying  that  he  was  not  as  other  men. 

Fourth,  he  was  thankful.  Deep  down  in  his  heart  he 
rejoiced  in  this  splendid  showing  of  morality  and  piety. 
There  are  men  who  feel  precisely  as  he  did,  but  have 
not  the  grace  to  make  public  acknowledgment  of  it. 
That  "  I  thank  thee,  God,"  is  certainly  to  the  credit  of  the 
man  who  uttered  it. 

So  indeed  this  Pharisee  was  not  as  black  as  we  have 
oftentimes  painted  him.  As  we  have  seen,  there  were 
many  things  in  his  favor,  and  so  far  as  we  are  aware  there 
was  only  one  thing  against  him. 

We  turn  now  to  consider  this  worshipper's  one  fault, 
his  self-righteousness.  He  was  a  type  of  a  multitude  of 
eminently  respectable  people  who  trust  in  themselves  that 
they  are  righteous.  Let  us  observe  what  is  involved  in 
this  sin. 

(1.)  Infatuation.     The  Pharisee  was  utterly  mistaken 


176  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

as  to  his  real  character.  He  said,  "  I  am  not  like  other 
men."     God  said,  "  There  is  no  difference." 

A  sinner  is  a  sinner.  His  respectability  does  not  alter 
or  modify  the  main  fact.  At  this  moment  all  Paris  is  dis- 
turbed over  the  conviction  of  some  of  its  most  eminent 
dignitaries  of  misappropriating  the  Panama  Canal  funds. 
There  is  a  general  outcry  against  the  punishment  of  these 
reputable  gentlemen.  What  matters  it  that  they  have 
stolen  outright  some  millions  of  francs  ?  Are  they  not 
gentlemen,  cultured,  eminent  indeed  in  society?  On  the 
outer  boulevards  the  canaille  are  perpetrating  their  petty 
thefts,  stealing  a  loaf  for  their  hunger  or  a  ragged  garment 
to  cover  their  nakedness.  Away  to  the  prison  with  them ; 
but  as  for  De  Lesseps  and  Eiffel,  let  them  go !  Ah, 
God's  thoughts  are  not  as  our  thoughts,  nor  his  ways  as 
our  ways.  There  are  no  respectable  sinners  in  the  divine 
sight.  There  is  no  difference :  we  have  all  sinned  and 
come  short  of  the  glory  of  God. 

(2.)  Uncharitableness.  Another  element  in  the  self- 
righteousness  of  this  Pharisee  was  uncharitableness  ;  as  it  is 
written,  "He  despised  others."  It  takes  a  rogue  to  catch 
a  rogue.  For  a  like  reason,  none  but  the  conscious  sin- 
ner can  feel  for  his  erring  brother.  A  fellow-feeling 
makes  one  wondrous  kind. 

Who  was  it  wrote  the  "Universal  Prayer"? 

"  Teach  me  to  feel  another's  woe, 
To  hide  the  fault  I  see  ; 
That  mercy  I  to  others  show, 
That  mercy  show  to  me." 

Who  but  Alexander  Pope  with  his  thousand  open 
faults  ? 

Who  was  it  wrote  the  "  Bridge  of  Sighs  "? 


THE   PHARISEE'S   PRAYER.  1 77 

"  Owning  her  weakness, 
Her  evil  behavior, 
And  leaving,  with  meekness, 
Her  sins  to  her  Saviour  !" 

Who  but  Tom  Hood,  with  his  many  weaknesses  ? 

And  who  was  it  that  wrote  the  "  Address  to  the  unco' 
guid"? 

"  Then  at  the  balance  let 's  be  mute, 
We  never  can  adjust  it ; 
What 's  done  we  partly  may  compute, 
But  know  not  what 's  resisted." 

Who  but  Robbie  Burns,  who  many  a  time  staggered 
down  the  road  from  Tarn  O'Shanter's  inn  to  Alloway 
cottage  ? 

We  cannot  despise  others  when  we  know  our  own  in- 
firmities. Find  me  a  complacent  moralist,  and  I  will  find 
you  a  man  with  no  bowels  of  compassion. 

(3.)  Mark  the  Pharisee's  presumption.  With  respect 
to  himself  his  self-righteousness  was  infatuation ;  with 
respect  to  others  it  was  uncharitableness ;  with  respect  to 
God  it  was  arrant  presumption. 

We  speak  of  this  Pharisee's  prayer,  but  he  made  no 
prayer.  He  confessed  no  fault,  no  need.  "  I  thank  thee, 
God,"  said  he,  "  that  I  am  not  as  other  men."  It  was  an 
imposing  laudation  of  self. 

The  quaint  old  poet  Crashaw  puts  it  thus : 

1 '  Two  went  to  pray, 
Or  rather  to  say, 
One  went  to  brag — 
The  other  to  pray. 
"  One  stands  up  close 
And  treads  on  high 
Where  the  other 
Dares  not  lend  his  eye. 
12 


178  «"THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

"  One  nearer  to 

God's  altar  trod, 
The  other  to 
The  altar's  God." 

The  Pharisee's  prayer  was  like  a  painted  ship  upon  a 
painted  ocean,  as  fair  to  outward  seeming  as  any  vessel 
under  sail;  but  its  keel  cut  no  furrow  in  the  mighty  deep; 
it  carried  no  wants  to  the  regions  beyond  and  brought 
back  no  cargo  of  gold  and  spices.  The  Pharisee  knew 
no  sin  and  therefore  asked  for  no  pardon.  His  righteous- 
ness lacked  the  one  thing  needful.  He  had  heard  of 
Messiah  who  was  to  die  in  behalf  of  his  people,  that  they 
might  be  delivered  from  the  shame  and  penalty  and 
bondage  of  their  sins.  He  had  no  need,  however,  for 
the  gracious  offices  of  that  Mediator.  He  was  proud  of 
his  own  attainments  and  did  not  perceive  that  in  the  sight 
of  the  Holy  God  all  his  righteousnesses  were  but  as  filthy 
rags. 

"  One  thing  thou  lackest,"  said  the  Saviour  to  the 
young  ruler.  The  one  thing  lacking  in  his  case,  as  in  that 
of  this  Pharisee,  was  the  very  thing  on  which  salvation  is 
conditioned,  to  wit :  an  apprehension  of  God's  pardoning 
grace.  A  stowaway,  dragged  out  from  behind  the  casks 
and  bundles  in  the  hold  of  a  vessel,  is  in  no  wise  worse 
than  a  cabin  passenger,  save  only  that  he  lacks  a  ticket ; 
but  therein  he  lacks  the  great  pre-requisite,  in  default  of 
which  he  must  needs  take  his  place  among  the  stokers. 

O  friend,  conscious  of  a  noble  purpose  to  live  up- 
rightly, yet  refusing  the  strength  and  guidance  of  God's 
own  beloved  Son,  and  unshriven  for  the  mislived  past, 
one  thing  thou  lackest!  Go,  part  with  everything  and 
win  an  interest  in  the  Saviour's  sacrifice,  and  then,  boast- 
ful no  longer  of  thine  own  righteousness,  lean  hard  on 


THE   PHARISEE  S   PRAYER. 


179 


Him  for  ever.  If  thou  shalt  ever  present  thyself  accept- 
able at  the  throne  of  heaven,  it  will  be,  not  because  of 
personal  merit,  but  clothed  in  His  righteousness  as  with 
fine  linen,  clean  and  white. 

When  we  have  done  our  utmost  we  still  fall  short  of 
the  glory  of  God.  The  best  of  sinners  has  a  reason  to 
cry  out  at  every  eventide,  "  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  God, 
according  to  thy  lovingkindness  !"  The  most  immaculate 
of  moralists  is  still  a  guilty  man. 

In  its  last  reduction  the  only  virtue  is  faith  in  the 
Saviour  of  the  world. 

14  Talk  they  of  morals  ?    O  thou  bleeding  Lamb  ! 
The  true  morality  is  love  of  Thee." 


180  "THE   MORNING   COMETH. 


THE  PUBLICAN'S  PRAYER. 


"  And  the  publican,  standing  afar  off,  would  not  lift  up  so  much  as 
his  eyes  unto  heaven,  but  smote  upon  his  breast,  saying,  God 
be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."     Luke  18:13. 

Our  Lord  gave  little  attention  to  the  inculcation  of 
abstract  truth.  He  taught  in  object-lessons,  using  in  large 
measure  the  kindergarten  method.  There  was  no  attempt 
at  the  appearance  of  profundity.  He  desired  to  present 
truth  in  terms  so  simple  that  a  wayfaring  man,  though  a 
fool,  might  understand  it.  The  truths  which  are  advanced 
in  his  gospel  are  in  concrete  form  and  not  infrequently 
formulated  in  living  flesh  and  blood.  This  is  of  advantage 
for  both  plainness  and  picturesqueness. 

Here  is  a  woman  afflicted  with  an  incurable  malady, 
who,  learning  that  Jesus  is  passing  through  the  village, 
makes  her  way  through  the  crowd  in  the  desperate  hope 
of  being  healed  by  his  touch.  She  accomplishes  her  pur- 
pose, lays  her  hand  upon  the  hem  of  his  garment,  and 
feels  with  inexpressible  joy  the  sudden  thrill  of  health. 
What  does  this  mean  ?  Faith.  It  teaches  the  power  of 
faith,  that  is,  of  personal  contact  with  the  Divine,  only 
more  effectively  than  could  have  been  done  in  an  elabo- 
rate discourse. 

Here  is  a  poor  creature  rescued  from  the  slums  by  the 
encouraging  word  of  Jesus,  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that 
labor  and  are  heavy-laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  In 
deep  passion  of  gratitude  she  brings  an  alabaster-box  of 
ointment,  her  most  priceless  possession,  and  pours  it  upon 


THE   PUBLICAN'S   PRAYER.  l8l 

Jesus'  feet,  weeping-  meanwhile  and  wiping  his  feet  with 
her  flowing  hair.  And  when  the  disciples  would  have 
rebuked  her,  the  Lord  said,  "  Let  her  alone ;  she  hath 
wrought  a  good  work  on  me."  What  does  this  mean  ? 
Love — love  that  covereth  a  multitude  of  sins.  A  whole 
library  of  elaborate  discourses  could  not  have  shown  its 
nature  so  well. 

In  the  court  of  the  temple  a  poor  widow  drops  two 
mites  into  Corban.  There  are  other  contributors  there, 
rich  men  and  ostentatious  pietists,  who  throw  their  golden 
coins  sonorously  into  the  trumpet-mouth  of  the  contribu- 
tion-box :  but  of  this  poor  widow  the  Master  said,  "  She 
hath  given  more  than  they  all."  What  does  this  mean  ? 
The  grace  of  giving.  Nor  has  all  the  literature  on  syste- 
matic beneficence  in  these  last  days  covered  the  case  so 
thoroughly. 

A  wayfarer  as  he  passes  along  the  "  bloody  way  "  that 
leads  from  Jerusalem  down  to  Jericho  hears  a  groan  and 
turns  aside  to  answer  it.  The  priests  have  been  along  that 
way  and  the  Levites  have  given  no  heed.  He  finds  the 
suffering  one,  binds  up  his  wounds,  and  cares  for  him. 
The  lesson  is  benevolence.  All  that  Herbert  Spencer 
and  the  professors  of  sociology  have  contributed  to  the 
subject  have  added  little  or  nothing  to  this  simple  and 
comprehensive  outline  of  true  neighborliness. 

A  thief  is  dying  on  the  cross.  His  life  has  been  passed 
in  sin  and  shame,  but  he  cries  in  the  supreme  moment  of 
his  anguish  and  despair,  "  Lord,  remember  me !"  The 
answer  is,  "To-day  thou  shalt  be  with  me  in  Paradise." 
Thus  briefly  does  the  great  Master  teach  the  power  of 
saving  grace. 

"  Twixt  the  saddle  and  the  ground, 
Mercy  sought  is  mercy  found." 


182  "THE   MORNING    COMETH. 

It  will  be  observed  that  all  the  foregoing  persons  were 
nameless.  Names  are  nothing ;  the  important  thing  is  the 
virtue  that  shines  through  the  life.  And  here  in  this 
publican  we  have  another  of  the  anonymi.  There  is  little 
or  nothing  attractive  about  him.  He  was  a  pariah,  a 
renegade  Jew,  a  collector  of  Roman  tribute.  He  was 
hated  and  despised — a  dog  of  a  publican.  He  was  not 
allowed  to  enter  the  Temple  or  to  testify  in  the  courts  of 
justice.  It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  tax-collectors  are  a 
despised  class  in  Oriental  countries  to  this  day.  And  how 
they  are  hated  over  in  Ireland !  the  factors,  the  landlord's 
men  ;  and  in  Scotland  too.  Burns  pays  them  his  compli- 
ments in  the  "  Twa  Dogs  :" 

"  Poor  tenant  bodies,  scant  o'  cash, 
How  they  maun  thole  a  factor's  snash  : 
He'll  stamp  an'  threaten,  curse  an'  swear, 
He  '11  apprehend  them,  poind  their  gear; 
While  they  maun  stan'  wi'  aspect  humble 
An'  hear  it  a',  an'  fear  an'  tremble  !" 

The  ancient  tax-collector  was  much  the  same.  He  had 
only  one  friend ;  Jesus  was  called  the  "  Friend  of  publi- 
cans." 

The  publican  here  referred  to  was  chosen  to  enforce 
the  lesson  how  to  approach  God. 

I.  Observe  his  face.  It  expresses  a  want.  "  Prayer  is 
the  soul's  sincere  desire."  The  first  assurance  of  success 
at  the  mercy-seat  is  to  "  want  something." 

We  were  taught  in  the  theological  seminary  that  every 
well-ordered  prayer  should  consist  of  four  parts,  to  wit, 
adoration,  thanksgiving,  confession,  and  supplication. 
But  this  man  in  his  eagerness  forgot  all  courtesy  and 
leaped  over  ail  but  the  last.  In  like  manner  Bartimaeus 
spent  no  time  in  the  preliminaries  of  devotion,  but  cried 


THE  PUBLICAN'S   PRAYER,  183 

again  and  again,  "  O  thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy 
upon  me  !"  One  thing  he  desired,  one  thing  he  must 
have  :  "  Oh  that  I  might  receive  my  sight !" 

We  complain  of  wandering  thoughts  :  we  kneel  at  our 
devotions  and  our  thoughts  go  fluttering  away  from  us 
like  the  English  sparrows  that  flit  and  twitter  in  the  trees. 
The  remedy  for  this  is  to  have  a  want.  Let  us  pause  at 
the  threshold  oi  prayer  as  Jeanie  Deans  did  at  the  door 
of  the  audience-room,  laying  her  hand  upon  her  heart. 
Let  us,  if  we  would  present  a  petition  at  the  throne  of 
heavenly  grace,  feel  the  parchment  to  make  sure  it  is 
there. 

II.  Observe  his  egotism,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me." 
Here  was  no  circumlocution.  He  had  been  told,  doubt- 
less, that  rulers  and  all  in  authority  must  be  prayed  for. 
He  knew  that  the  heathen  multitudes  lying  in  darkness 
and  the  shadow  of  death  should  be  prayed  for.  But  he 
did  not  think  of  one  beside  himself.  And  he  was  right. 
Let  the  sinner,  first  of  all,  set  himself  right  with  God.  To 
say  the  Lord's  Prayer,  to  repeat  the  Litany,  to  pray  for  the 
world  in  its  weakness  and  wickedness,  if  the  suppliant 
himself  is  still  unreconciled  with  God,  is  surely  an  empty 
form.  This  publican  felt  his  sin.  It  rose  to  vast  propor- 
tions before  his  eyes.  It  seemed  like  a  mountain  separa- 
ting between  him  and  God.  There  might  be  other 
sinners  in  the  world,  but  he  was  aware  of  only  one.  "  God 
be  merciful  to  me,  the  sinner."  He  heard  the  Pharisee 
saying,  "  God,  I  thank  thee  that  I  am  not  as  other  men  ;  I 
fast  twice  every  week,  I  give  tithes  of  all  I  possess."  And 
he  in  his  distress  murmured,  "  Oh,  if  I  were  only  as  good 
as  he !  I  have  done  no  fasting,  I  have  paid  in  no  tithes  ; 
God  pity  me !" 

III.  Observe  his  theology.   For  there  is  a  whole  system 


1 84  "THE    MORNING   COMETH." 

of  theology  in  his  brief  prayer.  The  sum  and  substance 
of  all  spiritual  truth  is  in  the  linking  of  sin  with  pardon,  in 
finding  a  bridge  to  span  the  infinite  chasm  between  a 
condemned  culprit  and  his  offended  God.  This  publican 
had  found  it.  That  bridge  is  Mercy — "  God  be  merci- 
ful." In  that  word  is  the  one  answer  to  the  old  query, 
"  How  can  God  be  just  and  yet  justify  the  ungodly  ?"  For 
the  prayer  is  literally,  "  Be  propitiated  unto  me."  In 
that  word,  which  finds  its  full  significance  in  the  sacrifice 
upon  the  Cross,  is  the  full  answer  to  the  query,  "  How 
shall  a  man  be  just  with  God  ?" 

In  1848  Fergus  O'Connor  came  up  to  the  House  of 
Commons  with  a  Chartist  petition  to  which  were  affixed 
5,700,000  names.  All  these  had  one  desire  and  thus  uni- 
tedly expressed  it.  But  in  all  the  world  there  is  not  one 
living  man  who  does  not  need  mercy.  There  are  sixteen 
hundred  millions  of  people,  and  every  one  of  them  is  a 
sinner  under  sentence  of  spiritual  and  eternal  death.  In 
the  heart  of  every  one  is  a  longing  to  know  the  way  of 
escape,  and  the  only  way  of  escape  is  in  the  mercy  of  God. 

IV.  Observe  his  attitude.  He  stood  afar  off,  thus 
showing  his  reverence.  He  drooped  his  eyes,  thus  mani- 
festing his  humility.  He  beat  upon  his  breast  where  all 
his  trouble  lay,  for  his  was  a  malady  of  the  heart,  and  thus 
he  showed  his  earnestness.  This  man  had  not  learned  his 
prayer  in  any  philosophic  school  nor  at  the  feet  of  any 
doctrinal  teacher,  but  out  of  the  deep  experience  of  his 
soul,  and  every  word  that  he  uttered  was  blistered  with  a 
tear. 

Our  Lord  tells  of  a  certain  widow  who,  having  suffered 
wrong,  presented  herself  before  the  magistrate,  entreating 
him  to  avenge  her.  It  was  his  business  to  avenge  her ; 
this  is  what  justices  are  for.     If  all  who  have  been  wronged 


THE   PUBLICAN'S   PRAYER.  185 

were  to  present  themselves  at  the  door  of  our  justices  and 
magistrates — the  widows  and  those  who  are  worse  than 
widows,  the  fatherless  and  those  who  have  been  made 
worse  than  fatherless  by  the  iniquities  of  the  dramshop 
and  the  gambling  hell— the  days  and  nights  would  be 
vociferous  with  their  appeals.  But  alas  !  the  magistrates 
of  to-day  are  much  like  those  of  the  olden  time.  This 
widow  could  not  get  a  hearing,  but  she  went  again  and 
again.  He  could  not  rid  himself  of  her.  She  wearied 
him.  As  he  entered  his  home  at  night  he  saw  her.  Then 
in  his  dreams  he  saw  her  at  his  door.  In  the  early  morn- 
ing there  she  was,  crying,  "Avenge  me."  At  length  he 
said,  "  Because  she  wearieth  me  I  will  avenge  her." 
Shall  not  the  Lord  much  more — oh  blessed  a  fortiori  I — ■ 
avenge  his  own  elect?  Shall  he  not  hear  those  who  come 
with  their  wrongs,  their  burdens,  their  aching  hearts,  and 
give  him  no  peace  ?  The  kingdom  of  heaven  suffereth 
violence  and  the  violent  take  it  by  force. 

V.  Observe  the  sequel :  "And  this  man  went  down  to 
his  house  justified."  Justification  is  an  act  of  God's  free 
grace  whereby  he  pardoneth  all  our  sins  and  accepteth  us 
as  righteous  in  his  sight.  It  means  that  his  burden  was 
lifted,  his  sins  forgiven.  In  the  International  Exposition 
of  1862  there  were  two  notable  pictures.  In  one  of  them 
was  represented  a  group  of  persons  in  the  ante-room  of  a 
judgment  hall.  A  woman  sat  wringing  her  hands  in  an 
agony  of  silent  suspense;  her  little  children  stood  by, 
sharing  in  the  grief  which  they  could  not  fathom.  The 
aged  grandmother  with  woe-begone  face  held  a  puling 
infant  in  her  lap.  The  dog  looked  up  in  silent  wonder. 
Through  the  door  opening  into  the  court-room  might  be 
seen  a  man  in  the  prisoner's  box.  This  was  called, 
"  Waiting  for  the  Verdict."     In  the  other  the  man  stood 


1 86  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

with  his  arm  about  the  woman  and  her  head  lay  upon  his 
breast.  The  children  were  tugging  at  their  mother's 
skirts,  the  grandmother  was  holding  up  the  baby  to  kiss 
its  father's  face,  the  dog  was  licking  his  hand.  And  this 
was  called,  "Acquitted."  There  is  no  joy  in  heaven  or  on 
earth  like  that  which  the  sinner  feels  when  his  judgment  is 
over  and  he  is,  for  Jesus'  sake,  acquitted  before  God. 

This  publican  had  come  up  to  the  temple  with  a 
mighty  heartache ;  his  sins  were  heavy  upon  him.  He 
went  down  to  his  house  justified,  singing  now  the  song  of 
salvation.  There  were  rich  men  in  Jerusalem,  but  not  one 
who  owned  such  treasure  as  he ;  there  were  king's  favor- 
ites, but  not  one  who  felt  so  proud  and  happy  as  he.  A 
long  while  he  lay  awake  that  night  for  joy,  and  in  the 
morning  when  he  arose  and  looked  out  towards  the  east, 
it  was  as  if  the  dawn  of  heaven  had  burst  upon  him. 

This  is  a  great  prayer,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sin- 
ner." Friend,  have  you  ever  offered  it  ?  You  have  said 
your  prayers  many  a  time ;  you  have  uttered  the  form- 
ulas, you  have  read  the  litanies ;  but  have  you  ever  out 
of  the  anguish  of  a  surcharged  heart  cried  out  for  the 
mercy  of  God  ?  When  the  learned  Grotius  was  dying 
at  Rostock,  after  a  life  of  theological  study  and  good 
works,  he  asked  for  this  parable  to  be  read,  and  his  last 
word  was,  "  That  publican  am  I." 

In  one  of  Joseph  Cook's  lectures  he  tells  of  a 
wealthy  man  of  affairs  who  came  to  an  evangelist 
with  a  desire  to  know  "  whether  the  gospel  were  true  or 
not."  "Are  you  sincere  ?"  said  the  evangelist.  "  I  am," 
said  he.  "  I  will  do  anything  to  find  out  whether  the 
gospel  is  true  or  not."  "  Let  us  kneel  down,"  said  the 
evangelist,  "here  and  now;  and  do  you  say,  from  your 
heart,  '  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner.' "     The  merchant 


THE   PUBLICAN'S   PRAYER.  1 87 

did  so,  earnestly  and  genuinely,  and  there  came  to  him  a 
sudden  and  inexpressible  peace.  He  arose  from  his  knees 
saying,  "  This  is  a  singular  experience."  And  seeking 
his  business  partner,  he  related  all  and  said,  "  Will  you 
not  try  it?"  His  partner  had  been  a  skeptic,  but  he 
consented.  They  knelt  down  together  and  he  offered 
the  publican's  prayer,  and  "  he  too  arose  smitten  across 
the  forehead  with  a  light  that  falls  out  of  those  celestial 
spaces  from  which  all  souls  come  and  into  which  all  men 
haste." 

Get  down,  my  friend,  upon  thy  knees,  if  thou  art  an 
unforgiven  sinner,  and  pray,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me." 
And  as  sure  as  God  lives,  the  answer  will  come.  "Ask, 
and  it  shall  be  given  you ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find ;  knock, 
and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you."  The  mouth  of  the 
Lord  hath  spoken  it. 


1 88  "THE   MORNING    COMETH.' 


WASHINGTON'S  RELIGION 


"  A  good  man  leaveth  an  inheritance  to  his  children's  children." 

Prov.  13:22. 

It  is  a  true  saying,  "  The  boy  is  father  of  the  man." 
In  a  copy-book  used  by  George  Washington  when  a  boy 
is  this  sentence:  "Labor  to  preserve  in  your  bosom  that 
lingering  spark  of  heavenly  fire  which  men  call  con- 
science." Out  of  such  fountains  flow  the  streams  of  an 
earnest  life.  This  boy  was  left  fatherless  at  ten  years  of 
age;  but  he  had  a  glorious  mother,  and  he  was  not 
ashamed  to  be  a  mother's  boy.  He  received  through 
the  kindness  of  a  kinsman  a  midshipman's  warrant  in 
the  British  Navy.  His  arrangements  were  all  made; 
the  boat  that  was  to  carry  him  across  the  sea  was  at 
anchor  in  the  stream ;  but  as  he  was  setting  out  he  saw 
tears  in  his  mother's  eyes.  That  was  enough  for  him ; 
he  turned  back. 

It  would  be  curious  to  speculate  what  the  result  would 
have  been  had  he  persisted  in  his  purpose,  for  on  such 
small  events  turns  the  history  of  the  ages. 

Long  afterwards,  when  Lafayette  brought  to  Washing- 
ton's mother  a  glowing  report  of  his  brave  deeds,  she 
quietly  answered,  "  I  am  not  surprised ;  George  was 
always  a  good  boy." 

At  twenty- one,  during  the  war  with  the  French  and 
Indians,  he  was  chosen  to  bear  a  remonstrance  to  the  com- 
mander of  the  enemies'  forces.     It  was  a  delicate  and  dan- 


WASHINGTON'S   RELIGION.  1 89 

gerous  errand,  involving  a  journey  of  six  hundred  miles 
over  the  mountains  and  across  the  wilderness.  He  made 
it  successfully,  fording  streams,  scaling  mountains,  and 
braving  the  hostilities  of  savage  tribes.  For  this  he  was 
promoted  to  larger  responsibilities.  A  vote  of  thanks 
being  accorded  him  in  the  House  of  Burgesses,  he  arose 
to  reply,  but  his  tongue  clave  to  the  roof  of  his  mouth. 
"  Sit  down,  Mr.  Washington,"  said  the  presiding  officer, 
"  your  modesty  alone  can  equal  your  valor." 

In  1774  he  was  elected  to  the  first  Congress,  and  was 
presently  made  Commander-in-chief  of  the  Continental 
forces.  Then  came  those  eight  years  of  travail-pain  out 
of  which  was  born  our  constitutional  freedom.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  gracefully  resigned  his  sword,  saying, 
"  The  chaplains  of  the  army  will  render  thanks  to  Al- 
mighty God." 

In  1787  he  attended  the  Constitutional  Convention  and 
was  unanimously  chosen  to  preside  over  it.  Soon  after- 
wards he  was  elected  the  first  President  of  the  United 
States.  On  taking  the  Presidential  chair  he  said,  "  No 
people  can  be  bound  to  acknowledge  and  adore  the  invis- 
ible Hand  which  conducts  the  affairs  of  men,  more  than 
the  people  of  the  United  States.  Every  step  by  which 
they  have  advanced  to  the  character  of  an  independent 
nation  seems  to  have  been  distinguished  by  some  token 
of providential  agency"  And  further  on  in  the  same  ad- 
dress, "  I  shall  take  my  present  leave,  but  not  without  re- 
sorting once  more  to  the  benign  Parent  of  the  human  race 
in  humble  supplication  that,  since  he  has  been  pleased  to 
favor  the  American  people  with  opportunities  for  deliber- 
ating in  perfect  tranquillity,  and  a  disposition  for  deciding 
with  unparalleled  unanimity  on  a  form  of  government  for 
the  securing  of  their  Union  and  the  advancement  of  their 


IQO  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

happiness,  so  this  divine  blessing  may  be  equally  conspic- 
uous in  the  enlarged  views,  the  temperate  consultations, 
and  the  wise  measures  on  which  the  success  of  this  Gov- 
ernment must  depend."  At  the  close  of  his  second  term 
as  President  he  delivered  a  farewell  address,  in  which  he 
observed,  "  Of  all  the  dispositions  and  habits  which  lead 
to  political  prosperity,  religion  and  morality  are  indispen- 
sable supports.  In  vain  would  that  man  claim  the  tribute 
of  patriotism  who  should  labor  to  subvert  these  great  pil- 
lars of  human  happiness,  these  firmest  props  of  the  duties 
of  men  and  citizens.  The  mere  politician,  equally  with 
the  pious  man,  ought  to  respect  and  cherish  them.  A 
volume  could  not  trace  all  their  connections  with  private 
and  public  felicity.  Let  it  simply  be  asked,  Where  is  the 
security  for  property,  for  reputation,  for  life,  if  the  sense 
of  religious  obligation  desert  the  oaths  which  are  the  in- 
struments of  investigation  in  courts  of  justice  ?  And  let 
us  with  caution  indulge  the  supposition  that  morality  can 
be  maintained  without  religion.  Whatever  can  be  con- 
ceded to  the  influence  of  refined  education  on  minds  of 
peculiar  structure,  reason  and  experience  both  forbid  us 
to  expect  that  national  morality  can  prevail  in  exclusion  of 
religious  principle.  It  is  substantially  true  that  virtue  or 
morality  is  a  necessary  spring  of  popular  government. 
The  rule  indeed  extends  with  more  or  less  force  to  every 
species  of  free  government.  Who  that  is  a  sincere  friend 
to  it  can  look  with  indifference  upon  attempts  to  shake  the 
foundation  of  the  fabric  ?"  At  the  expiration  of  his  second 
presidential  term  he  retired  to  Mt.  Vernon,  where,  as  a 
simple  American  citizen,  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his 
days.  He  died  full  of  years  and  honors.  His  last  words 
were,  "  It  is  well." 

We  are  familiar  with  his  civic  virtues,  not  so  familiar 


WASHINGTON'S   RELIGION.  IQI 

with  his  religious  character.  His  success  was  due  less 
to  natural  gifts  or  adventitious  circumstances  than  to 
his  devotion  to  religious  principles.  Let  those  who  pay 
tribute  to  his  character  not  forget  that  religion  was  at  the 
bottom  of  it. 

I.  He  believed  in  God.  He  believed  not  merely  in 
Universal  Law  or  in  a  Pervading  Force  or  a  Something 
that  maketh  for  righteousness,  but  in  a  personal  God,  in 
whose  providence  he  had  an  abiding  faith.  In  writing  of 
Braddock's  defeat  he  said,  "  By  the  all-powerful  dispensa- 
tion of  Providence  I  have  been  protected  beyond  all  hu- 
man probability,  for  I  had  four  bullets  through  my  coat 
and  two  horses  shot  under  me,  yet  I  escaped  unhurt 
while  death  was  levelling  my  companions  on  every  side 
of  me." 

Nor  did  he  trust  Providence  alone  in  his  personal 
affairs.  He  believed  that  a  gracious  God  was  protecting 
the  interests  of  his  country.  "  A  man  must  be  worse  than 
an  infidel,"  said  he  at  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War, 
"  who  does  not  see  the  goodness  of  God  or  has  not  grati- 
tude enough  to  acknowledge  it."  On  resigning  his  com- 
mission as  Commander-in-chief  of  the  Continental  forces 
he  said,  "  I  consider  it  an  indispensable  duty  to  close  this, 
my  last  official  act,  by  commending  the  interests  of  our 
dearest  country  to  the  protection  of  Almighty  God." 

II.  He  believed  in  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 
In  his  inmost  heart  he  realized  that  he  was  a  sinner,  and 
he  saw  no  possibility  of  pardon  save  at  the  cross.  He 
therefore  held  to  the  vital  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith. 

Nor  was  it  only  with  respect  to  himself  that  he  be- 
lieved in  Christ.  He  held  that  our  Government  was 
established  on  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  gospel. 
In  these  days  the  question  is  raised  whether  or  no  ours 


192  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

is  a  Christian  nation.  He  never  doubted  it.  "  It  is  my 
most  earnest  prayer,"  he  says  in  an  address  to  the  gov- 
ernors of  the  several  States,  "  that  God  would  have  you 
and  the  States  over  which  you  preside  in  his  holy  pro- 
tection ;  that  he  would  incline  the  hearts  of  the  citizens  to 
cultivate  the  spirit  of  subordination  and  obedience  to 
government;  and  finally,  that  he  would  be  most  gra- 
ciously pleased  to  dispose  us  all  to  do  justice,  to  love 
mercy,  and  to  demean  ourselves  with  that  charity,  humil- 
ity, and  pacific  temper  of  mind  which  were  the  character- 
istics of  the  divine  Author  of  our  blessed  religion,  with- 
out a  humble  imitation  of  whose  example  in  these  things 
we  can  never  hope  to  be  a  happy  nation." 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  while  the  great  majority  of 
our  American  people  are  not  committed  to  the  Christian 
religion  in  any  way  whatsoever,  yet  they  inadvertently 
betray  their  convictions  in  continuously  casting  their 
ballots  for  Christian  men.  From  George  Washington  to 
Grover  Cleveland,  all  our  Presidents,  with  perhaps  one 
exception  only,  have  been  in  sympathy  with  the  funda- 
mentals of  the  Christian  faith.  Of  the  eight  candidates 
for  President  and  Vice-President  at  the  recent  election, 
every  one  was  a  professed  believer  in  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  The  people  thus,  whatever  their  open  avowal 
may  be,  admit  that  in  their  judgment  the  country  is  safe 
only  in  Christian  hands. 

III.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  church.  It  is 
not  an  uncommon  thing  to  find  men  in  the  councils  of 
the  nation  who  privately  admit  their  belief  in  the  gospel 
while  yet  declining,  for  prudential  or  other  reasons,  to 
make  confession  of  it.  No  such  considerations  weighed 
with  Washington.  He  was  a  vestryman  in  the  Episco- 
palian  church   at   Alexandria.      His    pastor,    Rev.   Lee 


WASHINGTON'S  RELIGION.  193 

Massy,  said,  "  I  never  knew  so  constant  an  attendant  on 
church  as  he,  and  his  behavior  in  the  house  of  God  was 
ever  so  deeply  reverent  that  it  produced  the  happiest 
effects."  While  a  churchman,  however,  he  was  a  broad 
Christian  man.  At  the  time  when  the  army  was  encamped 
at  Morristown,  learning  of  an  approaching  Communion 
in  the  Presbyterian  church,  he  asked  if  he  might  be  per- 
mitted to  participate.  The  answer  was  substantially  this, 
"  We  do  not  propose  to  celebrate  a  Presbyterian  Supper 
nor  yet  an  Episcopalian  Supper,  but  the  Supper  of  the 
Lord.  Come  and  welcome,  if  you  love  Him."  He  was 
there.  The  whole  world  knows  that  any  narrower  inter- 
pretation of  the  Holy  Communion  than  this  is  a  shame 
and  a  reproach  not  merely  to  Christian  fellowship  but  to 
sanctified  common  sense.  It  is  preposterous  to  build 
such  hedges  around  the  sacred  table  as  that  persons 
shall  be  excluded  who  will  yet  be  made  welcome  at  the 
Marriage  Supper  of  the  Lamb. 

IV.  He  held  to  the  integrity  of  the  Bible  as  the  Word 
of  God.  He  was  wont  to  refer  to  it  as  "  the  pure  and 
benignant  light  of  revelation."  He  loved  it ;  he  searched 
it  as  for  hidden  treasure.  He  believed  that  he  found  in 
it  the  riches  of  spiritual  life. 

In  those  times  there  was  no  controversy  as  to  the 
inerrancy  of  the  Scriptures.  There  were  only  two  par- 
ties in  the  world.  On  the  one  hand  there  were  unbeliev- 
ers who  rejected  the  Bible,  holding  that  it  was  a  human 
composition,  a  splendid  landmark  of  literature,  contain- 
ing some  wonderful  maxims  and  profound  truths,  but 
still  not  absolutely  true  nor  worthy  to  be  called,  in  any 
honest  sense,  the  veritable  Word  of  God.  On  the  other 
hand,  all  of  Christ's  people  received  the  Scriptures  in 
good  faith,  as  their  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  practice. 


194  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

They  held  that  whatever  numerical  or  literary  errors 
there  might  be  in  its  various  versions,  it  was,  as  it  left 
the  hands  of  the  holy  men  who  wrote  by  inspiration,  the 
absolutely  true  and  inerrant  Word  of  God.  As  yet  schol- 
ars had  not  learned  to  juggle  with  words.  "  Infallible  " 
meant  infallible  in  those  days.  The  two  parties,  believers 
and  unbelievers,  stood  squarely  divided  along  the  lines 
of  Scriptural  truth.  It  was  never  dreamed  in  those  days 
that  it  would  be  possible  for  a  man  to  belong  to  both 
parties  at  once.  It  was  left  to  be  discovered  more 
recently  that  a  man  may  reject  the  substantial  truth  of 
Scripture  and  still  receive  it  as  infallible;  that  he  may 
regard  it  as  largely  false  and  still  the  very  Word  of 
God. 

On  one  occasion  the  nephew  of  Washington,  coming 
suddenly  into  his  room,  found  him  on  his  knees  with  an 
open  Bible  before  him.  If  we  were  accustomed  in  these 
times  to  read  our  Bible  on  our  knees  we  would  love  it 
more  devotedly  and  find  fewer  faults  in  it.  The  sin  of 
our  time  is  irreverence.  Fools  rush  in  where  angels  fear 
to  tread. 

V.  Washington  believed  in  the  sanctity  of  the  Sab- 
bath. He  required  it  to  be  observed  by  his  fellow-officers 
as  well  as  by  the  rank  and  file  of  his  army.  And  during 
his  chief-magistracy  the  presidential  home  was  secluded 
on  the  Lord's  day.  In  this  particular  he  was  so  scrupu- 
lous that  we  may  well  believe  he  was  regarded  as  a  Sab- 
batic bigot  and  fanatic. 

Times  have  changed,  you  say,  and  men  are  more 
liberal  now.  Ay,  times  have  changed,  but  the  fundamen- 
tal principles  of  truth  and  morality  abide  for  ever.  The 
sanction  of  Sabbath  rest  is  in  these  words,  "  For  in  six 
days  the  Lord  made  heaven  and  earth,  the  sea,  and  all 


WASHINGTON'S   RELIGION.  195 

that  in  them  is,  and  rested  the  seventh  day ;  wherefore  the 
Lord  blessed  the  Sabbath  day  and  hallowed  it."  The  first 
word  of  the  Sabbath  law  is,  "  Remember."  One  of  the 
things  to  remember  is  that  God  established  the  Sabbath  in 
his  own  Sabbatic  rest,  and  the  law  can  obviously  never 
be  abrogated  until  it  be  proved  that  God  did  not  rest 
on  the  seventh  day.  And  another  thing  to  be  remem- 
bered in  this  connection  is  that  no  nation  ever  disre- 
garded the  Sabbath  law  and  lived.  The  paths  of  history 
are  marked  with  the  ruins  of  nations  that  ran  thus  upon 
the  bosses  of  the  shield  of  God. 

VI.  Washington  was  a  praying  man.  On  his  leav- 
ing home  in  early  boyhood  his  mother  said,  "  My  son, 
never  neglect  the  duty  of  secret  prayer."  Nor  did  he. 
It  was  his  custom  to  rise  at  4  A.  m.  for  devotions.  It  is 
known  to  every  one  how  a  certain  Quaker  while  walking 
along  a  creek  near  Valley  Forge,  hearing  a  voice  from  a 
dense  thicket,  pushed  his  way  through  and  found  Wash- 
ington upon  his  knees.  His  face  was  uplifted  and  suf- 
fused with  tears.  At  this  time  the  Continental  cause  was 
at  the  last  extremity.  The  troops  were  barefoot  and 
hungry,  the  treasury  depleted,  and  all  hearts  sick  with 
hope  deferred.  The  Commander-in-chief  was  making  a 
desperate  plea  to  God  for  the  triumph  of  right  and  free- 
dom. A  man  of  prayer  is  ever  a  man  of  power.  The 
great  leaders  in  the  historic  struggles  for  human  rights 
have  been  praying  men,  such  as  Cromwell,  the  Prince  of 
Orange,  and  Gustavus  Adolphus,  who  entered  battle  with 
a  Pater  Nosier  on  his  lips. 

VII.  The  things  which  Washington  believed  he  also 
exemplified  in  his  daily  life.  The  fruits  of  the  Spirit, 
love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  goodness, 
faith,  were  witnessed  in  his  walk  and  conversation.      The 


I96  "THE    MORNING    COMETH." 

words  which  the  lad  had  written  in  the  copy-book,  "  La- 
bor to  preserve  in  your  bosom  that  lingering  spark  of 
heavenly  fire  which  men  call  conscience,"  were  as  his 
guiding  star.  His  life  was  marked  by  an  unchallenged 
probity.  It  is  said  that  the  flour  that  was  manufactured 
at  Mt.  Vernon  bearing  the  Washington  mark  was  passed 
without  the  customary  inspection  in  West  Indian  ports. 
The  name  of  Washington  was  voucher  for  the  genuine- 
ness of  whatever  bore  it.  He  had  learned  the  Master's 
word,  Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men  that  they  may 
see  your  good  works  and  glorify  God. 

It  may  be  profitable  in  closing  this  monograph  on  the 
character  of  the  Father  of  his  Country,  to  call  attention  to 
a  startling  parallel.  The  cause  of  freedom  was  fought  out 
almost  contemporaneously  in  America  and  France.  When 
the  hour  struck  in  our  country  the  man  was  forthcom- 
ing—  Washington,  who  thoroughly  believed  in  God. 
When  the  hour  struck  in  France  the  man  also  was  forth- 
coming— Napoleon,  who  followed  his  star  of  destiny. 
While  our  people  were  nerving  themselves  in  prayer  and 
consecration  for  the  approaching  struggle,  the  mobs  were 
gathering  in  the  streets  of  Paris ;  they  were  writing  "  Lib- 
erty, fraternity,  equality  "  across  the  dead  walls  and  on 
the  doors  of  Notre  Dame.  The  Continental  Congress  was 
opened  with  prayer,  while  in  the  Corps  Legislatif  a  reso- 
lution was  offered  and  passed,  "  There  is  no  God."  The 
wives  and  children  of  the  colonies,  while  their  husbands 
and  fathers  were  enduring  the  rigors  of  war,  bore  hunger 
and  privation  with  prayerful  patience.  The  women  of 
France  marched  out  to  Versailles  and  interrupted  the 
National  Assembly  there,  crying,  "  This  is  no  question  of 
politics  ;  this  is  a  question  of  bread."  While  the  fabric  of 
constitutional  freedom  was  rising  on  this  side  of  the  sea, 


WASHINGTON'S  RELIGION.  197 

the  sharp  blade  of  the  guillotine  on  the  other  was  decapi- 
tating the  bravest  and  noblest  of  France.  And  when  our 
nation  was  rejoicing  in  the  ultimate  success  of  its  glorious 
struggle  for  human  rights  and  giving  praises  to  God,  the 
disappointed  people  of  France  were  in  unspeakable  de- 
spair because  their  hopes  were  extinguished  and  their  ill- 
founded  temple  of  freedom  had  gone  down  in  fire  and 
blood.  So  true  is  it  that  the  nation  that  will  not  serve 
God  shall  perish.  Of  men  and  nations  alike  Jehovah 
hath  said,  "  If  ye  seek  me  I  will  be  found  of  you ;  if  ye 
forsake  me  I  will  cast  you  off." 

A  last  word.  In  commemorating  the  virtues  of  Wash- 
ington do  we  reflect  that  we  pay  involuntary  homage  to 
his  religion  ?  If  he  was  right,  then  those  who  revere  him 
and  yet  reject  his  Christian  principles  are  surely  wrong. 
His  life  was  moulded  by  his  faith.  So  that  unless  our 
reverence  for  him  is  merely  sentimental,  we  pay  tribute, 
whether  by  intention  or  otherwise,  to  the  God  in  whom  he 
believed,  the  Saviour  in  whom  he  trusted,  the  Bible  in 
which  he  had  implicit  confidence,  the  church  whose  in- 
terests he  espoused,  the  Sabbath  which  he  scrupulously 
observed,  the  habit  of  prayer  which  he  regarded  as  the 
bond  of  union  between  heaven  and  earth,  and  all  those 
Christian  graces  which,  making  up  a  perfect  character, 
find  their  only  realization  in  the  divine  Son  of  Man.  Let 
us  hear  then  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter : — Can 
we  say  it  ? — His  God  shall  be  our  God  for  ever  and  ever  ! 


I98  "THE    MORNING    COMETH. 


THE  BIBLE  BEING  DISPOSED  OF, 
WHAT  THEN? 


"  And  it  came  to  pass  when  Jehudi  had  read  three  or  four  leaves,  he 
cut  it  with  the  penknife,  and  cast  it  into  the  fire  that  was  on  the 
hearth,  until  all  the  roll  was  consumed  in  the  fire  that  was  on 
the  hearth."    Jer.  36:23. 

The  Ten  Commandments,  written  on  two  tables  of 
stone,  which  Moses  received  in  the  flaming  mountain,  were 
kept  in  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant.  They  formed  the  nu- 
cleus of  the  Canon  of  Scripture.  As  time  passed,  the  five 
books  of  Moses  were  added,  then  the  Prophets  and  the 
Hagiographa,  or  sacred  poems.  This  body  of  inspired 
writings  was  known  as  the  Book  of  the  Law. 

The  Book  of  the  Law  was  not  merely  a  religious  sym- 
bol, it  was  the  Constitution  of  the  Jewish  Theocracy. 
There  should  have  been,  therefore,  a  double  interest  in 
preserving  it.  At  times,  however,  it  was  almost  ignored. 
In  the  reign  of  the  wicked  kings,  when  altars  were  raised 
everywhere  to  Baal  and  Astarte,  the  inspired  scroll  was 
lost  sight  of.  On  one  occasion,  as  certain  of  the  attendants 
of  the  temple  were  rummaging  through  a  lumber-room, 
they  came  upon  a  dust-covered  scroll.  They  opened  it 
and  were  amazed  by  what  they  saw.  It  was  the  forgotten 
Book  of  the  Law.  Its  discovery  was  reported  to  the  king, 
Josiah.  A  new  impulse  was  thereby  given  to  his  half- 
formed  purpose  of  reforming  the  nation.  The  high  places 
were  thrown  down,  the  idols  shattered,  the  Passover  was 


THE  BIBLE  DISPOSED  OF,  WHAT  THEN?         1 99 

restored.  And  so  long  as  Josiah  reigned,  worship  was 
rendered  to  the  true  God. 

The  reformation  was  but  temporary,  however ;  it  was 
not  the  break  of  a  better  day,  but  the  fitful  glow  of  northern 
lights.  At  Josiah's  death  the  darkness  deepened,  the 
nation  went  hastening  to  its  ruin.  From  the  south  came 
the  threatenings  of  Egypt ;  in  the  east  the  heavy  footfall 
of  the  Assyrian  host  began  to  be  heard ;  meanwhile  the 
nation  was  torn  asunder  by  two  rival  parties.  The  party 
of  the  princes  was  substantially  pagan,  the  party  of  the 
priests  nominally  true  to  Jehovah,  but  in  fact  given  over 
to  outward  ceremonial  and  superstition  of  the  basest  sort. 
Under  the  temple  were  chambers  of  imagery,  from  its 
eastern  porch  worship  was  paid  to  the  rising  sun.  When 
Jehoiakim  came  to  the  throne  his  empire  was  a  mere  de- 
pendency, and  he  a  vassal  of  Egypt. 

While  these  things  were  transpiring  the  voice  of  the 
prophet  Jeremiah  was  heard  in  earnest  admonition.  He 
uttered  faithful  warnings  in  the  temple  courts  and  at  the 
palace  doors ;  he  called  upon  ruler  and  people  to  heed  the 
Book  of  the  Law.  He  was  hated  and  cursed  for  his  pains. 
On  the  edge  of  Hinnom  he  held  aloft  an  earthenware  ves- 
sel, dashed  it  upon  the  rocks  below,  crying,  "  So  shall  the 
Great  Potter  shiver  Jerusalem  to  pieces  !"  He  was  seized 
and  cast  into  prison. 

In  prison  he  had  one  faithful  friend,  the  scribe  Baruch,  to 
whom  were  committed  the  prophecies  of  those  last  fateful 
years.  A  new  canonical  book  was  thus  added  to  the  Book 
of  the  Law.  It  was  determined  that  this  should  be  publicly 
read.  On  a  December  day,  at  the  gate  of  the  temple,  the 
writings  were  recited  by  Baruch  in  the  presence  of  the  mul- 
titude. He  was  summoned  to  appear  at  the  court  to  read 
this  Book  of  the  Law.    It  struck  terror  to  the  hearts  of  his 


200  "THE   MORNING   COMETH. 

hearers.  They  told  the  king.  "  Bring  the  scroll,"  said  he. 
It  was  brought  by  Jehudi,  one  of  his  courtiers,  who  began 
to  read  it.  As  he  proceeded  the  king  was  more  and  more 
offended  by  the  frank  warnings  of  the  book.  "  I  like  not 
that,"  he  said  ;  "  cut  it  out."  And  again,  "  I  like  not  that ; 
cut  it  out."  And  so,  until  Jehudi's  penknife  had  cruelly 
mutilated  the  parchment.  At  length,  losing  all  patience 
with  the  faithful  book,  the  king  cried,  "  Cast  it  into  the 
fire  !"  A  brazier  was  burning  near  by  ;  the  parchment  was 
thrown  in  and  burned  up.  Was  Jehoiakim  relieved? 
No  doubt.  The  faithful  book  was  gone,  but  alas,  its 
woes   remained  and   the   doom  of  the   nation   hastened 


on 


We  have  that  Book  of  the  Law.  It  is  our  infallible 
rule  of  faith  and  practice.  But  the  penknife  of  destructive 
criticism  is  at  work  upon  it.  A  considerable  portion  of 
every  book  which  has  passed  under  review  is  being  thrown 
out  because  it  does  not  comport  with  the  prejudgments  of 
the  so-called  Biblical  experts.  And  so  far  as  the  radical 
scholars  of  Germany  and  Oxford  are  concerned,  the 
Scriptures  are  substantially  thrown  into  the  fire.  It 
is  not  my  purpose,  however,  to  enter  into  the  current 
controversy  now.  There  is  a  party  to  this  controversy 
which  has  not  been  recognized  thus  far.  A  party  of  out- 
siders there  is  who  stand  rubbing  their  hands  and  cry- 
ing, Aha !  aha !  while  the  Book  of  the  Law  is  being  mu- 
tilated and  burned  up. 

Is  it  not  a  curious  thing  that  all  the  unbelievers  of 
every  sort  should  be  on  one  side  in  this  controversy? 
There  is  not  an  infidel  circle  in  the  world  which  does  not 
rejoice  at  the  suggestion  that  the  Bible  is  not  true.  The 
work  of  destructive  criticism  commends  itself  to  all  the 
"lewd  fellows  of  the  baser  sort."      All  dram-sellers  and 


THE  BIBLE  DISPOSED  OF,  WHAT  THEN?        201 

gamblers  and  disreputables  of  all  kinds  whatsoever  are 
glad  to  be  assured  that  inroads  are  being  made  upon  the 
trustworthiness  of  Holy  Writ.  Why  should  the  ungodly 
hate  the  Bible  ?  Why  should  they  make  merry  at  the 
thought  of  having  it  put  away  ?  Because  the  carnal  mind 
is  enmity  against  God.  They  are  offended  by  the  doc- 
trines and  put  to  an  open  shame  by  the  moral  precepts  of 
this  Book  of  the  Law. 

It  will  be  worth  while  to  inquire,  however,  wherein  the 
ungodly  would  be  bettered  if  the  Bible  were  burned  up. 
Let  us  suppose  that  all  the  present  assaults  upon  the  ve- 
racity of  the  Scriptures  are  to  be  successful.  What  then  ? 
Were  the  Bible  proved  to  be  quite  unworthy  of  confidence, 
were  it  shown  to  be  dotted  everywhere  with  error  as  thick 
as  a  leper  with  his  loathsome  scales,  what  advantage  would 
it  be  to  godless  men  ? 

I.  God  would  still  remain.  The  Bible  does  not  make 
God ;  it  does  not  even  demonstrate  the  being  of  God.  It 
assumes  him.  Its  opening  words  are,  "  In  the  beginning 
God  created." 

It  takes  God  for  granted  because  the  world  in- 
tuitively believes  in  him.  The  simplest  argument  in  all 
the  world  is  that  which  phrases  itself  thus :  Design  sup- 
poses a  designer.  Were  I  to  say  that  John  Milton  made 
"  Paradise  Lost"  by  jumbling  letters  in  a  bag  and  tossing 
them  forth,  all  reasonable  men  would  laugh  at  me;  but 
this  would  be  no  more  preposterous  than  is  the  allegation 
that  our  universe  is  a  fortuitous  concourse  of  atoms.  All 
men  know  that  back  of  law  is  the  Lawgiver,  back  of  order 
the  Arranger,  back  of  design  an  Infinite  Contriver. 

But  while  the  world  would  retain  its  belief  in  God,  it 
would,  in  the  absence  of  the  Scriptures,  know  nothing  of 
his  Providence  or  of  his  Fatherhood.      It  could  not  dis- 


202  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

cern  his  "  milder  face."  Men  would  still,  however,  be 
Theists,  sensible  of  an  all-pervading  Power  and  ever  utter- 
ing the  sentiment  which  fills  the  pagan  breast,  "  It  is  a 
fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  God." 

II.  The  sense  of  sin  would  remai7i.  The  Bible  is  not 
responsible  for  the  sense  of  sin.  It  did  not  make  man,  it 
did  not  turn  him  aside  from  the  path  of  virtue;  it  simply 
takes  him  as  it  finds  him. 

If  there  were  no  Bible,  our  consciences  would  still 
speak  to  us.  When  Prof.  Webster  was  lying  in  prison 
awaiting  his  doom  he  made  formal  complaint  that  he  was 
affronted  by  his  keepers,  who  shouted  at  him,  "  Oh,  you 
bloody  man !"  and  by  his  fellow-prisoners,  who  pounded 
on  the  walls  of  his  cell,  shouting,  "  Oh,  you  bloody  man  !" 
A  watch  was  set,  but  no  voice  was  heard  ;  it  was  his  guilty 
conscience  that  was  crying  out  against  him.  It  is  the 
voice  of  conscience  that  drives  the  pagan  nations  to  their 
knees  and  kindles  the  fires  beneath  their  altars.  It  needs 
no  heavenly  voice  to  convince  us  that  we  have  sinned  and 
that  sin  carries  with  it  a  death-sentence.  It  is  not  the 
Bible  that  gives  us  Ixion  on  the  wheel,  or  Sisyphus  vainly 
rolling  the  stone  up  the  mountain-side,  or  Tantalus  up  to 
his  lips  in  the  ever-receding  waters.  No,  in  any  case  con- 
science would  remain;  but  in  the  absence  of  revelation  we 
should  know  no  remedy  for  its  sting.  The  only  balm  in 
Gilead  is  the  blood  of  Jesus.  It  alone  has  power  to  de- 
liver from  sin. 

A  notable  passage  in  Paul's  Epistle  to  the  Galatians 
tells  us  that  we  are  all  "  concluded  under  sin."  The  new 
version  reads,  "  shut  up  under  sin."  But  in  either  case 
the  underlying  thought  is  that  of  imprisonment.  There 
is  no  difference;  we  are  all  behind  the  dungeon  bars. 
There  are  other  religions  which  come  and  sing  sweetly 


THE  BIBLE  DISPOSED  OF,  WHAT  THEN?        203 

under  the  windows ;  there  are  other  philosophies  which 
set  forth  charming  ethical  truths;  but  there  is  only  one 
gospel  which  draws  the  bolts  and  springs  back  the  mighty- 
doors  and  bids  us  come  out  and  breathe  the  air  of  heaven 
and  dwell  in  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God. 

III.  Were  the  Bible  destroyed,  our  sense  of  diity  would 
still  remain.  The  word  "duty"  means  something  due  or 
owed.  This  sense  of  dueness  or  obligation  which  is  ex- 
pressed in  the  great  word  "  ought"  is  native  to  the  human 
soul. 

The  moral  law  is  set  forth  in  the  Scriptures  in  the  Dec- 
alogue and  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  The  Decalogue, 
however,  was  written  in  the  human  constitution  long  before 
it  found  expression  in  Scripture.  It  is  interwoven  with 
the  nerves  and  sinews  of  the  race.  The  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  is  simply  a  broad  and  glorious  exposition  of  the 
Decalogue.  There  is  nothing  new  or  original  here.  We 
are  reminded  that  the  Golden  Rule  itself  did  not  originate 
with  Christ.  The  ethical  system  of  the  Bible  is  merely  an 
authoritative  statement  of  certain  laws  which  are  written 
in  the  soul  of  man.  God  here  places  his  imprimatur  on 
those  otherwise  anonymous  precepts  which  the  whole 
world  recognizes  as  right.  So,  were  the  Bible  to  vanish, 
the  moral  distinctions  would  remain  and  a  man  would 
know  his  duty  while,  alas,  ever  sensible  of  not  doing  it. 

The  peace  of  Herod  Antipas  was  greatly  troubled  by 
John  the  Baptist,  who  kept  insisting  that  he  should  put 
away  Mariamne.  "  It  is  not  lawful  for  thee  to  have  her," 
said  the  Prophet  of  the  Wilderness ;  "  Put  her  away,  attend 
to  the  serious  tasks  of  thy  kingdom,  meet  the  great  obli- 
gations of  thy  royal  life !"  To  drown  this  voice  of  disap- 
proval he  doomed  the  prophet  to  the  black  fortress  and 
at  length  slew  him.      The  head  of  John  the  Baptist  was 


204  "THE   MORNING   COMETH. 

brought  in  on  a  charger.  He  looked  on  the  stern  features 
and  doubtless  said  within  himself,  "  I  shall  hear  no  more 
of  thy  fierce  reproaches."  But  the  dim  eyes  of  the  weird 
prophet  looked  at  him  from  every  nook  and  cranny  and 
pierced  his  soul  in  the  watches  of  the  night.  And  when  a 
new  prophet  arose  and  went  about  preaching  righteous- 
ness, Herod  cried,  "  It  is  John  the  Baptist  risen  from  the 
dead !"  So  let  this  Bible,  our  divine  monitor  of  duty,  be 
destroyed  and  still  its  voice  will  find  us. 

The  one  thing  in  this  connection  which  the  world 
would  most  grievously  miss  would  be  the  portrait  of  the 
great  Right-Doer.  Man  would  still  struggle  in  the  ranks 
of  noble  effort,  but  the  Captain  would  be  dead.  In  all 
the  world  there  would  be  then  no  living  exemplification 
of  duty,  no  perfect  Man,  no  Christ  to  stand  on  the  heights 
above,  inspiring,  beckoning,  calling,  "  Follow  Me."  And 
without  Christ  the  thought  of  perfection  would  be  mere 
fancy ;  he  is  the  only  dikaios.  We  should  philosophize 
about  virtue  and  manhood  and  character,  but  never  see 
an  exemplification  of  it.  Thus  it  is  written,  "  The  whole 
world  groaneth  and  travaileth  in  pain  together  until  now, 
waiting  for  the  manifestation  of  the  sons  of  God."  This 
longing  is,  without  Christ,  unsatisfied.  God  still  look- 
eth  down  from  heaven  to  see,  and  behold !  there  is  none 
that  doeth  righteousness,  no,  not  one. 

IV.  The  Bible  gone,  death  would  still  remain;  death — 
and  judgment  followiiig  after.  The  Bible  is  not  respon- 
sible for  death. 

It  needs  no  revelation  from  on  high  to  tell  us  that,  as 
Abd-el-Kader  says,  "the  black  camel  kneels  at  our  gate." 
That  admonition  is  written  on  the  grave-stones  that  line 
the  journey  of  our  life. 


"The  air  is  full  of  farewells  to  the  dying 
And  mournings  for  the  dead." 

But  without  the  Scriptures  we  should  have  no  hope  of 
triumph  over  death.  There  would  be  no  story  of  the 
great  triumph  which  was  wrought  for  us  in  Joseph's  gar- 
den. At  twilight  the  bearers  brought  the  lifeless  body 
of  Jesus  and  with  tears  and  lamentations  laid  it  away  in 
the  new-made  sepulchre.  A  stone  was  rolled  before  it, 
the  seal  of  the  Roman  Empire  was  placed  upon  it,  and  a 
guard  was  stationed.  And  then  the  King  of  Terrors 
came  and  walked  up  and  down  before  the  grave.  "  I 
have  conquered  the  King  of  Life,"  he  murmured.  "  I 
have  him  here  and  I  will  hold  him."  The  night  wore  on, 
and  still  the  grim  patrol  walked  to  and  fro.  "  I  have 
conquered  all,"  he  said.  "  Adam — I  slew  him.  Abraham, 
called  the  Friend  of  God — I  slew  him.  Noah,  whom  the 
flood  spared — I  slew  him.  Moses  went  up  into  a  moun- 
tain alone,  and  I  met  and  slew  him  there.  Methuse- 
lah— they  thought  I  had  forgotten  him ;  but  though  he 
lived  nine  hundred  and  sixty-nine  years,  yet  must  his 
biographers  add, '  He  died.'  I  slew  them  all,  and  behold, 
the  Prince  of  Life  lies  yonder.  I  have  Him  and  will  keep 
him !"  But  in  the  darkness  the  blood  of  the  slain  was 
quickened,  the  flesh  grew  warm  ;  the  cerements  stirred ; 
the  wounded  hand  was  lifted,  loosed  the  napkin  from 
about  the  pale  face  and  laid  it  away,  was  lifted  again  as 
though  a  sceptre  were  within  it,  and  thereat  the  stone 
rolled  from  the  grave's  mouth.  The  King  of  Terrors 
fled  like  a  frightened  spectre  at  daybreak,  and  the  King 
of  Life  came  forth.  "  Now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead 
and  become  the  first-fruits  of  them  that  slept."  So  is 
come  to  pass  the  saying  that  is  written,  Death  is  swallowed 
up  in  victory!     O  Death,  where  is  thy  sting?     O  Grave, 


20b  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

where  is  thy  victory  ?  The  sting  of  death  is  sin  and  the 
strength  of  sin  is  the  law;  but  thanks  be  to  God  which 
giveth  us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ !" 

V.  The  dream  of  immortality  would  still  remain. 
This  is  quite  independent  of  Scripture.  The  Greeks  put 
an  obolus  upon  the  tongue  of  the  dead  to  pay  their  fer- 
riage across  the  Styx  because  there  might  be  a  happy 
land  beyond.  The  Indian  chief  was  buried  with  his 
bows  and  arrows  at  his  side,  because,  if  there  should  by 
chance  be  a  happy  hunting-ground,  he  would  need  them 
there.  Thus  immortality  has  always  been  a  fond  dream — ■ 
a  dream  only.  When  Cicero  lighted  the  lamp  in  the 
grave  of  his  daughter  it  was  with  the  thought  that  possi- 
bly her  life,  though  extinguished  for  a  time,  might  be 
rekindled.  When  Socrates  put  the  cup  of  hemlock  to 
his  lips,  he  said,  "I  go ;  whether  to  perish  or  to  live 
again  I  know  not."  The  old  fable  of  the  Phcenix  ex- 
pressed the  fondest  of  pagan  hopes. 

No,  no,  we  should  not  lose  the  dream  but  we  should 
lose  the  certainty,  for  in  the  gospel  life  and  immortality 
are  brought  to  light.  The  twilight  vanishes,  the  dream 
becomes  a  splendid  reality.  Just  yonder  through  the 
mists  of  the  river  we  behold  the  better  country,  even  an 
heavenly, 

"Sweet  fields  beyond  the  swelling  flood, 
All  drest  in  living  green." 

Just  yonder  where  the  clouds  had  obscured  the  mountains 
we  observe  the  Holy  City,  New  Jerusalem.  "  Its  twelve 
gates  were  twelve  pearls,  every  several  gate  was  one 
pearl,  and  the  street  of  the  city  was  pure  gold,  as  it  were 
transparent  glass."  It  is  a  city  that  hath  foundations, 
whose  builder  and  maker  is  God.  Still  yonder,  through 
the   veil    rent    in    the    midst,   we   behold   our   Father's 


THE  BIBLE  DISPOSED  OF,  WHAT  THEN?        20J 

house,  "  Home,  sweet  Home."  And  the  saints  perfected 
are  drawing  near  and  at  the  gateway  are  clasping  hands 
with  loved  ones  who  were  "  lost  a  while."  Oh  glorious 
day  of  knitting  severed  friendships  up  ! 

The  dream  of  immortality  would  linger  with  us,  but 
the  "  better  country,"  the  "  city  that  hath  foundations," 
the  "  Father's  house "  would  disappear  within  the  dim- 
ness of  the  morning  mist. 

Thus  all  the  bald  and  barren  facts  which  we  hold  as 
spiritual  intuitions  would  still  abide  were  the  Scriptures 
burned  up — God,  sin,  duty,  death,  immortality — but  all 
these  truths  would  lose  their  warmth  and  helpfulness,  like 
stars  glowing  in  the  distance,  but  cold  and  unhelpful  for 
ever.  Let  those  who  have  thoughtlessly  stood  by  the 
brazier,  sympathizing  with  the  enemies  of  Holy  Writ, 
pause  and  reflect  upon  the  loss  which  even  they  would 
sustain  were  the  folds  of  the  great  curtain,  which  God  has 
lifted,  to  close  again  upon  us. 

The  sun  is  a  great  way  off;  it  is  so  far  distant  as  to 
be  of  little  particular  interest  to  most  of  us,  a  round  ball 
far  yonder  in  space,  some  millions  of  miles,  looking  not 
larger  than  a  brazen  shield  or  a  dinner-plate ;  nor  is  it  a 
perfect  orb.  The  maculae  can  be  seen  upon  it  with  an  un- 
aided eye.  And  it  resists  an  intrusive  gaze.  What  care 
we  then  for  the  sun  ?  But  quench  it — lo,  the  light  is  gone 
out  of  the  diamond,  the  sparkle  from  the  brook,  and 
beauty  from  the  whole  earth  ;  the  grass  has  withered,  the 
birds  have  ceased  their  singing,  the  planets  themselves 
have  faded  out.  Our  world  would  still  be  here  or  some- 
where, rolling  round  an  eccentric  orb  in  silence,  utter 
darkness,  and  eternal  solitude,  an  uninhabited  and  voice- 
ruin. 

The  Bible  is  our  noonday  sun.      Its   glories  are  far 


20S  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

away  from  the  multitude  who  will  not  receive  it.  There 
are  mysteries,  vast  and  incomprehensible  here ;  but  burn 
the  book,  or  what  is  the  same,  let  the  world  lose  its  confi- 
dence in  it,  and  all  that  makes  life  worth  living  goes  from 
us.  Our  civil  and  ecclesiastical  freedom,  the  sanctions  of 
home  and  social  life,  hope,  triumphant  faith — all  are  gone. 
A  sunless  world  is  no  more  desolate  than  a  Bibleless 
world  would  be. 

But  the  Bible  is  in  no  danger ;  it  has  come  to  stay ; 
it  will  glorify  life  and  illuminate  the  valley  of  death  until 
the  last  penitent  sinner  has  gone  through  heaven's  gate. 
The  burning  of  the  Scriptures  is  an  old  story.  All  along 
the  path  of  history  are  bonfires  of  the  Book,  and  still 
it  lives.  Votlaire  said  that  he  would  pass  through  the 
forest  of  the  Scriptures  and  girdle  all  its  trees  so  that 
in  a  hundred  years  Christianity  would  be  only  a  van- 
ishing memory.  The  hundred  years  have  expired; 
Voltaire  is  gone,  and  "none  so  poor  to  do  him  rever- 
ence," but  Christianity  is  still  here  and  the  trees  of  the 
Lord  are  full  of  sap.  The  brazier  of  Jehoiakim  is  a 
golden  altar,  the  fumes  of  which,  like  frankincense,  have 
gone  through  all  the  earth.  The  wrath  of  hostile  criti- 
cism in  seeking  to  destroy  the  life  of  the  Scriptures  has 
but  crushed  its  spices,  sending  forth  their  fragrance  to 
the  skies.  The  truth  is  indestructible.  All  flesh  is  as  grass, 
and  the  glory  of  man  as  the  flower  of  the  field  that  with- 
ereth.  The  grass  withereth,  the  flower  fadeth,  but  the 
Word  of  our  God  shall  stand  for  ever. 


THE   LOST   NAME.  20Q 


THE  LOST  NAME. 


"  And  God  spake  unto  Moses,  and  said  unto  him,  I  am  Jehovah ; 
and  I  appeared  unto  Abraham,  unto  Isaac,  and  unto  Jacob,  by 
the  name  of  God  Almighty,  but  by  my  name  JEHOVAH  was 
I  not  known  to  them.  And  I  have  also  established  my  cove- 
nant with  them,  to  give  them  the  land  of  Canaan,  the  land  of 
their  pilgrimage,  wherein  they  were  strangers.  And  I  have 
also  heard  the  groaning  of  the  children  of  Israel,  whom  the 
Egyptians  keep  in  bondage ;  and  I  have  remembered  my 
covenant.  Wherefore  say  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  I  am 
Jehovah,  and  I  will  bring  you  out  from  under  the  burdens  of 
the  Egyptians,  and  I  will  rid  you  out  of  their  bondage,  and  I 
will  redeem  you  with  a  stretched  out  arm  and  with  great 
judgments:  and  I  will  take  you  to  me  for  a  people,  and  I  will 
be  to  you  a  God:  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah  your 
God,  which  bringeth  you  out  from  under  the  burdens  of  the 
Egyptians.  And  I  will  bring  you  in  unto  the  land  concerning 
the  which  I  did  swear  to  give  it  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to 
Jacob;  and  I  will  give  it  you  for  a  heritage:  I  am  Jehovah." 
Exod.  6:2-8.     (New  Version.) 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  up  to  the  time  here 
referred  to  God  was  practically  nameless.  The  titles 
which  were  applied  to  him  had  reference  to  his  essential 
nature  and  attributes.  (1.)  El,  which  meant  power,  or  in 
the  plural  form,  Elohim,  powers,  was  a  general  term 
corresponding  to  the  idea  which  some  learned  people 
now  entertain  of  Deity  when  they  speak  of  him  as  Law, 
Force,  All-pervading  Energy,  and  the  like.  (2.)  Adonai, 
which  meant  Lord  or  Master,  had  reference  to  the  di- 
vine mastery  and  to  that  alone.  Of  such  a  God  David 
14 


210  "THE   MORNING   COMETH. 

Strauss  said,  "  In  the  enormous  machine  of  the  universe, 
amid  the  incessant  hiss  and  whirr  of  its  jagged  iron  wheels 
and  the  deafening  crash  of  its  stamps  and  hammers,  I  find 
myself  a  helpless  and  defenceless  man,  not  sure  for  a 
moment  that  the  wheels  may  not  seize  and  rend  me  or 
the  hammers  crush  me  into  powder."  (3.)  Jehovah.  A 
term  used  less  frequently  than  the  others,  and  having 
respect  to  the  divine  essence.  It  was,  in  no  sense,  as  yet, 
a  name  for  God. 

The  time  had  come  when  a  name  must  be  given 
him.  The  family  of  Abraham,  chosen  to  keep  the  ora- 
cles and  to  transmit  the  forms  of  true  worship  to  coming 
ages,  had  multiplied  into  a  vast  horde  of  people  who 
were  now  bond-slaves  in  Egypt.  God  purposed  that 
they  should  be  delivered  out  of  bondage  and  developed 
into  a  nation  which  should  establish  truth  and  righteous- 
ness on  the  earth.  To  this  end  he  spake  out  of  the  burn- 
ing bush  to  Moses :  "  I  will  send  thee  unto  Pharaoh,  that 
thou  mayest  bring  forth  my  people  out  of  Egypt."  It 
was  natural  for  Moses  to  ask  for  credentials.  "  When  I 
come  unto  the  children  of  Israel,"  said  he,  "and  they 
shall  ask,  What  is  the  name  of  the  God  that  hath  sent 
you?  what  shall  I  say?"  And  God  said,  "  I  AM  THAT 
I  AM ;  thus  shalt  thou  say  unto  the  children  of  Israel, 
I  AM  hath  sent  me  unto  you."  "  This  is  my  name  for 
ever  and  this  is  my  memorial  unto  all  generations."  The 
name  here  appropriated  by  him,  I  AM  THAT  I  AM,  is 
identical  with  Jehovah.  It  is  spoken  of  as  a  new  name. 
"  I  appeared  unto  thy  fathers  by  the  name  of  God  Al- 
mighty, but  by  my  name  Jehovah  was  I  not  known  unto 
them."  The  name  Jehovah  had  been  known,  but  only 
now  was  adopted  as  the  distinctive  name  of  the  true  God. 
So  the  rainbow  had  always  been  in  the  heavens,  but  at 


THE    LOST   NAME.  211 

the  subsidence  of  the  flood  it  was  made  the  token  of  a 
divine  covenant,  as  the  Lord  said,  ■  I  do  set  my  bow  in 
the  clouds,  and  it  shall  be  for  a  token  of  the  covenant 
between  me  and  thee."  A  new  and  blessed  significance 
was  put  upon  it. 

This  mysterious  name  was  used  with  the  utmost  rev- 
erence. As  time  passed  a  superstitious  value  was  attached 
to  it,  insomuch  that  it  became  a  word  to  juggle  with.  At 
length  it  was  wholly  ruled  out  of  common  use.  To  utter 
it  became  a  sin.  It  was  called  the  separated  name,  the 
incommunicable  name.  The  High  Priest  alone  was  now 
permitted  to  pronounce  it  once  a  year  on  the  great  Day 
of  Atonement  when  he  entered  the  Holiest  of  All.  When 
written,  the  four  consonants  were  alone  used,  whence  it 
was  called  the  tetragrammaton.  This  undue  reverence 
found  its  excuse  in  a  misinterpretation  of  Leviticus  24 :  16, 
"  He  that  blasphemeth  the  name  of  Jehovah  shall  surely 
be  put  to  death."  At  length  the  pronunciation  oi  the 
name  was  wholly  lost.  Tradition  says  that  the  secret 
perished  with  Simeon  the  Just.  At  this  moment  there  is 
no  living  man  who  can  declare  with  authority  how  the 
word  should  be  spoken.  The  judgment  of  scholars  is 
divided  as  to  whether  it  should  be  Yahveh,  Yehveh, 
Jahvoh,  or  Jehovah.  The  modern  Jews  substitute  the 
name  Adonai  for  it. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  this  lost  name  of  God  ? 

I.  Its  fundamental  thought  is  that  of  Life.  It  was  de- 
rived from  the  verb  to  be.  It  tells  us  that  God  is ;  i.  e., 
that  he  is  not  a  mere  dream  or  a  fancy,  but  a  veritable 
fact.  God  lives ;  he  is  not  as  Pantheism  paints  him,  an 
all-pervading  essence,  but  a  self-conscious  personality. 
God  is  self-existent ;  not  like  the  pagan  gods  who  were 
derived  from  trees  or  mountains  or  foam  of  the  sea. 


212  "THE   MORNING    COMETH. 

11  He  sits  on  no  precarious  throne, 
Nor  borrows  leave  to  be." 

God  is  the  source  and  fountain  of  life.  All  the  vital- 
ity of  the  universe,  physical  as  well  as  spiritual,  is  derived 
from  him.  A  scientist  may  wire  and  clamp  together  the 
bones  of  a  mastodon,  but  all  the  scientists  of  the  world  can- 
not breathe  into  that  form  the  breath  of  life.  It  is  an  ax- 
iom of  science  that  "  life  proceeds  from  life  and  from  noth- 
ing else."  If  man  could  create  a  living  germ,  a  bacillus, 
an  animalcule,  we  might  perhaps  dispense  with  God.  But 
as  matters  now  stand,  all  living  things  must  derive  their 
being  from  the  living  God. 

II.  The  name  suggests  the  divine  attribute  of  Eter- 
nity. God  liveth  for  ever.  He  is  the  High  and  Holy  One 
that  inhabited!  eternity.  The  temple  of  King  Solomon 
was  "  exceeding  magnifical,"  with  gold  of  Sheba,  cedars  of 
Lebanon,  and  ivory  from  Ethiopia  ;  but  what  of  the  great 
temple  wherein  God  dwelleth  ?  Infinitude  is  its  dome; 
the  immeasurable  aeons  are  the  buttresses  of  its  walls. 

In  distinction  from  the  endless  existence  of  man,  His 
life  is  sempiternal,  i.  e.,  he  never  began  to  be  and  he  will 
never  cease  to  be — he  is  without  beginning  or  end  of 
days. 

Let  the  mind  wander  back  along  the  history  of  the 
nations,  past  the  beginning  of  human  life,  through  the 
dense  steaming  forests  of  the  carboniferous  era,  past  chaos, 
past  the  primal  nebulae  and  the  primordial  germ,  and  in 
the  infinite  silence  and  solitude  it  confronts  God. 

The  oldest  scrap  of  literature  in  existence  is  probably 
the  ninetieth  Psalm.  It  was  written  by  Moses  at  the  end 
of  his  eventful  life.  He  stood  amid  the  summits  of  the 
everlasting  mountains  and  looked  backward  over  the 
desert   pilgrimage.      The  way  was  lined   on   every  side 


THE   LOST   NAME. 


213 


with  graves ;  the  venerable  heads  of  the  tribes  of  Israel 
had  one  by  one  paid  the  debt  of  nature.  The  thought  of 
the  divine  eternity  came  over  him  with  irresistible  force 
and  he  sang, 

"Jehovah,  thou  hast  been  our  dwelling-place 
In  all  generations. 

Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth, 
Or  ever  thou  hadst  formed  the  earth  and  the  world, 
Even  from  everlasting  to  everlasting, 
Thou  art  God." 

III.  In  this  name  there  is  reference  to  the  divine  im- 
mutability, as  if  God  said,  I  am  that  I  was  and  will  be. 
He  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever. 

There  is,  however,  a  vast  difference  between  im- 
mutability and  immobility.  He  is  not  unchangeable  in 
any  such  sense  as  that  he  cannot  be  moved.  The  Egyp- 
tians carved  upon  the  over-towering  cliffs  an  image  of 
Ammon-Ra,  a  blank- faced,  immovable,  stony-hearted  god. 
The  Pharaohs  bowed  before  it.  Processions  of  slaves 
prostrated  themselves  and  cried,  Oh  hear  and  deliver  us  ! 
The  mothers  of  old  Egypt  brought  their  burdened  hearts 
and  said  their  prayers  here.  But  there  was  no  voice  nor 
answer  nor  any  that  regarded.  We  too  call  our  God 
the  Rock  of  Ages,  but  he  is  a  prayer-hearing  and  a  prayer- 
answering  God.  Any  philosophy  of  the  decrees  which 
shuts  out  the  possibility  of  the  adjustment  of  the  divine 
mercy  to  human  appeal  must  be  false.  Eyes  are  not  eyes 
if  they  cannot  look  down  in  compassion  upon  the  suppli- 
ant ;  a  heart  is  not  a  heart  unless  it  can  throb  with  love  ; 
and  hands  are  not  hands  unless  they  can  be  stretched 
forth  to  help. 

There  is  one  "  difficulty  "  in  the  Scriptures  for  which 
we  may  justly  give  thanks  ;    it  is  that  which  arises  from 


214  "THE   MORNING   COMETH. 

the  statement  that  "  God  repenteth."  Not  once,  but  over 
and  over  again,  he  is  said  to  repent.  He  looked  down 
upon  the  children  of  Israel  while  they  danced  in  their  mad 
orgies  around  the  golden  calf  and  was  moved  with  anger ; 
but  Moses  kneeled  before  him  crying,  "Oh  this  people  have 
sinned  a  great  sin,  yet  now,  if  thou  wilt  forgive  them — and 
if  not,  blot  me,  I  pray  thee,  out  of  thy  book."  And  it  is 
written,  The  Lord  repented  of  the  evil  which  he  had 
thought  to  do  unto  his  people.  Thus  it  appears  that 
whatever  the  divine  immutability  may  be,  it  is  not  immo- 
bility ;  it  does  not  prevent  his  having  mercy  upon  the 
children  of  men. 

He  is  immutable,  however,  in  his  nature  and  charac- 
ter. The  divine  essence  can  be  never  more  nor  less. 
He  is  the  same  in  power  as  when  he  called  out  of  nothing 
the  things  that  are ;  the  same  in  wisdom  as  when 
in  the  beginning,  he  adjusted  all  things  to  their  uses; 
the  same  in  justice  as  when  he  said,  "The  soul  that 
sinneth,  it  shall  die;"  the  same  in  mercy  as  when  he 
sent  his  only-begotten  and  well-beloved  Son  to  bear  the 
shame  and  suffering  of  the  children  of  men;  the  same  in 
truth  as  when  he  said  that  he  that  believeth  in  the  Son 
hath  everlasting  life. 

God  is  the  Father  of  Lights.  The  sun  rises  and  sets, 
the  moon  has  its  phases,  the  stars  are  eclipsed  and  all  the 
bodies  of  the  heavens  cast  a  shadow  by  their  turning. 
With  God,  however,  there  is  no  variableness,  neither 
shadow  of  turning. 

IV.  The  name,  declares,  also,  the  progressive  mani- 
festation of  God  in  history.  It  might  be  rendered,  and  is 
indeed  so  rendered  by  some  Hebrew  scholars,  "  I  am  what 
I  shall  show  myself  to  be,"  or  "  I  will  show  what  I  am." 

God  is  a  constant  factor  in  history.     But  theology  is 


THE   LOST   NAME.  21 5 

progressive ;  we  know  more  of  God  to-day  than  we  did 
yesterday.  He  is  the  Spirit  in  the  wheels  of  human 
affairs,  and  he  makes  himself  known  more  and  more,  like 
the  sun  coming-  from  behind  a  cloud. 

In  the  Old  Economy  he  was  seen  in  dim  outlines,  in 
the  Shechinah,  in  theophanies,  in  dreams  and  visions  of 
the  night.  There  were  voices  out  of  the  darkness ;  or  a 
man  might  hide  in  the  cleft  of  the  rock  and  hear  the  rust- 
ling of  God's  garment  as  he  passed  by. 

Then  came  the  period  of  the  Incarnation,  a  brief  span 
of  thirty  years,  when  God  walked  among  men.  It  was 
not  best,  however,  that  he  should  so  abide.  "  It  is  ex- 
pedient," he  said,  "  that  I  go  away."  The  best  concep- 
tion of  Deity  was  not  in  knowing  even  Jesus  after  the 
flesh. 

So  came  the  dispensation  of  the  Spirit  in  which  we 
live.  The  Spirit  of  the  Infinite  One  is  abroad  everywhere 
and  working  among  men.  History  is  but  the  record  of 
his  consummate  plan  for  the  restitution  of  all  things.  He 
is  building  up  on  earth  the  kingdom  of  truth  and  right- 
eousness. He  is  continually  showing  himself  in  the  oper- 
ations of  his  providence  and  grace.  It  is  our  grave  mis- 
fortune if  we  cannot  see  or  hear  him.  Berkeley  said,  "  I 
am  but  a  fly  on  the  wheel  of  the  King's  chariot."  A  hu- 
man life  is  at  the  best  but  one  revolution  of  that  wheel. 
The  greatest  of  mortal  men  is  but  an  ephemera.  Napo- 
leon buzzed  and  stung  for  a  brief  season ;  the  wheel  rolled 
around,  and  yonder  he  lies  in  his  porphyry  coffin  under  the 
dome  of  the  Invalides,  crushed  into  dust ;  but  the  chariot 
rolls  on.  Oh  that  our  eyes  might  be  opened  to  see,  our 
ears  unstopped  to  hear,  how  God  advances  through  the 
years ! 

V.  Jehovah  was  the  name  by  which  God  was  pleased 


2l6  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

to  make  himself  known  as  distinctively  the  God  of  Israel. 
It  was  the  name  affixed  to  his  covenant;  it  was  the  name 
by  which  he  certified  to  his  truth,  "As  I  live,  saith  the 
Lord."  He  has  sworn  by  himself  because  there  was  no 
greater. 

In  the  Old  Testament  we  note  the  presence  of  a  strange 
figure,  known  as  the  Angel  of  the  Covenant.  It  was  he  who 
promised  after  the  eating  of  the  forbidden  fruit  that  the 
fruit  of  woman  should  bruise  the  serpent's  head.  It  was 
he  who  encouraged  Abraham  on  his  long  journey  by 
the  banks  of  the  Euphrates  to  the  land  of  promise, 
pointing  to  the  stars  of  heaven  and  saying,  "  So  shall  thy 
seed  be."  He  appeared  to  Isaiah  in  the  guise  of  the 
Man  of  sorrows,  acquainted  with  grief,  lifting  his  pierced 
hands  and  promising  redemption  to  penitent  souls.  He 
came  to  the  prophets  with  assurances  that  the  night  of 
Egyptian  darkness  was  to  be  succeeded  by  a  glorious 
dawn.  But  for  a  while  there  was  an  end  of  dreams  and 
visions.  The  Angel  of  the  Covenant  came  no  more.  The 
lights  in  the  sanctuary  were  extinguished,  the  Old  Testa- 
ment was  closed,  and  that  awful  night  of  four  hundred 
years  which  intervened  between  the  Old  and  the  New 
Economy  closed  in. 

The  Daybreak  was  announced  by  the  song  of  the  an- 
gels on  the  Judsean  hillsides,  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  high- 
est, peace  on  earth,  good-will  to  men !"  The  Christ-child 
lay  in  the  manger.  Behold  the  Messenger  of  the  Cove- 
nant was  come  back  to  dwell  among  men.  This  was  his 
claim.  To  the  woman  of  Samaria,  who  expressed  her 
hope  of  the  promised  Messiah,  he  said,  "  I  that  speak  to 
you  am  He."  In  the  porch  of  the  temple,  to  the  scribes 
and  Pharisees  who  boasted  of  their  descent  from  Abra- 
ham, he  said,  "  Before  Abraham  was  I  am."     Was  there 


THE   LOST   NAME.  .2 1 7 

a  suggestion  in  those  words  of  the  ancient  name  I  AM  ? 
His  assertion  was  regarded  as  blasphemy,  for  they  took 
up  stones  to  stone  him.  On  another  occasion  the  people 
said,  "  Tell  us  plainly,  art  thou  the  Christ  or  not  ?"  And 
he  answered,  "  I  have  told  you  and  ye  believed  not ;  the 
works  that  I  do  bear  witness  of  me.  1  and  my  Father  are 
one."  At  the  end  of  his  ministry,  when  Pilate  asked  him, 
"Art  thou  a  King?" — better,  "Art  thou  the  King?" 
i.  e.,  the  promised  one — he  answered,  "  Thou  sayest  it." 
The  superscription  of  the  cross  was  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
King  of  the  Jews.  This  Jesus  is  the  mysterious  figure 
whom  we  found  walking  through  the  history  of  Israel 
in  the  olden  time. 

Let  us  hear  then  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter. 
Jehovah  is  our  God.  Our  commission,  like  that  of  Mo- 
ses, is  from  him  :  "  I  AM  hath  sent  you." 

It  is  not  a  fortuitous  circumstance  that  the  old  name 
by  which  God  wished  himself  to  be  known  among  his  cho- 
sen people  is  lost  and  forgotten.  A  new  name  has  taken 
its  place,  the  name  that  was  given  to  the  Christ-child : 
"  And  thou  shalt  call  his  name  Jesus,  because  he  shall  save 
his  people  from  their  sins."  The  Angel  of  the  Covenant, 
the  long-looked-for  Messiah,  the  King  who  was  to  re- 
store the  kingdom  to  Israel,  Jehovah,  and  Jesus  are  all  one. 
To  us,  the  name  of  Jesus  is  significant  of  everything  dear 
and  precious  to  our  spiritual  life. 

An  old  negro  who  had  long  desired  to  read  came  to 
his  young  mistress  with  the  Bible  in  his  hand  and  his 
finger  on  the  word  "God."  "Is  this  his  name,  G-o-d? 
Does  that  spell  God  ?  O  bless  the  Lord,  my  old  eyes 
have  read  it !"  How  precious  to  us,  beloved,  should  be 
the  name  of  Jesus,  which  is  above  every  other  that  is 
named  in  heaven  or  on  earth,  the  only  name  whereby 


2I3  "THE   MORNING  COMETH." 

any  man  can  be  saved.     Let  us  speak  it  lovingly,  let  us 
speak  it  triumphantly. 

"Jesus,  I  love  thy  charming  name, 
Tis  music  to  mine  ear; 
Fain  would  I  sound  it  out  so  loud 
That  earth  and  heaven  should  hear. 

"I'll  speak  the  honors  of  thy  name 
With  my  last  laboring  breath  ; 
Then,  speechless,  clasp  thee  in  mine  arms, 
The  antidote  of  death !" 


THE  OLD  LANDMARKS.  219 


THE  OLD  LANDMARKS. 


"  Remove  not  the  ancient  landmark  which  thy  fathers  have  set." 

Prov.  22:28. 

The  wisdom  of  the  Mosaic  code  is  nowhere  more 
manifest  than  in  its  provisions  touching  the  tenure  of  land. 
At  the  time  of  the  Conquest  an  equitable  distribution  was 
made  of  about  fifteen  millions  of  acres.  This,  allowing 
for  six  hundred  thousand  heads  of  families,  gave  something 
more  than  twenty  acres  to  each,  and  still  left  above  two 
millions  of  acres  for  the  public  domain.  The  land  thus 
apportioned  was  to  be  held  for  ever.  Every  man  in  Israel 
was  a  landholder,  and  what  was  more  he  must  remain  so. 
If  through  improvidence  or  misfortune  he  lost  his  pos- 
session it  was  expressly  provided  that  it  might  be  re- 
deemed by  a  kinsman,  called  goal,  or  at  the  worst,  in 
default  of  such  redemption,  the  title  reverted  to  its  origi- 
nal proprietor  in  the  fiftieth  year — the  year  of  Jubilee. 

We  need  not  be  disciples  of  Henry  George  to  perceive 
the  benefits  of  such  an  arrangement.  It  was  impossible 
for  a  shiftless  father  to  pauperize  his  posterity.  A  few  rich 
owners  could  not  monopolize  the  land.  The  lines  could 
not  be  drawn  between  plebeian  and  patrician.  Thus  the 
dangers  which  befell  the  early  republics  of  Greece  and 
Italy  were  averted  by  the  Jewish  agrarian  laws. 

It  was  customary  to  mark  the  boundaries  of  estates 
by  corner-stones.  To  remove  these  landmarks,  if  an 
envious  neighbor  were  so  disposed,  was  an  easy  matter. 
A  repetition  of  this   offence   would,  in   course  of  time, 


220  "  THE    MORNING    COMETH. 

involve  a  complete  disarrangement  of  proprietary  rights ; 
it  was  therefore  prohibited  under  a  severe  penalty.  King 
Ahab  lost  his  crown  for  depriving  a  poor  subject  of  his 
patrimony  in  land.  A  violation  of  the  sanctity  of  the 
landmarks  was  in  the  nature  of  lese  majeste  ;  it  touched 
the  foundation  of  the  commonwealth,  for  these  landmarks 
were  the  guarantees  of  individual  freedom  and  were  nec- 
essary to  the  security  of  domestic  life. 

It  is  not  with  land  tenure,  however,  that  we  have  now 
to  do,  but  with  the  spiritual  inheritance  handed  down  by 
our  fathers  as  a  rich  bequest  of  truth  and  virtue.  This 
is  of  more  value  than  boundless  acres ;  its  title-deed  is 
sealed  with  the  image  and  superscription  of  the  King  of 
kings.  It  therefore  behooves  us  to  look  well  to  its  pres- 
ervation. An  attempt  to  remove  the  landmarks  of  this 
inheritance  is  noted  as  one  of  the  dangerous  tendencies 
of  modern  thought. 

I.  One  of  the  landmarks  by  which  this  spiritual  inher- 
itance is  secured  to  us  is  our  belief  in  the  supernatural. 

The  vandal  hand  reached  forth  to  remove  this  boun- 
dary is  Agnosticism,  the  most  popular  form  of  current 
unbelief. 

The  secret  of  spiritual  wisdom  is  to  be  able  to  meas- 
ure aright  the  relative  value  of  things  visible  and  invisi- 
ble. The  things  which  are  seen  are  temporal,  but  the 
things  which  are  unseen  are  eternal.  We  look  towards 
the  heavens  and  are  impressed  by  what  our  eyes  be- 
hold ;  but  the  invisible  law  by  which  those  multitudinous 
orbs  are  kept  in  their  orbits  with  no  perceptible  pertur- 
bation for  countless  ages,  is  more  wonderful  than  aught 
our  eyes  can  see.  We  open  the  pages  of  history  and 
mark  the  procession  of  kings  and  thrones  and  dynasties, 
amid  noise  and  dust  arising,  triumphing,  succeeding  one 


THE  OLD  LANDMARKS.  221 

another,  pausing  as  they  pass  long  enough  to  write  their 
epitaphs  upon  the  overtowering  cliffs,  and  vanishing  like 
the  baseless  fabric  of  a  dream.  Far  more  imposing  than 
all  these  visible  powers  is  the  philosophy  of  history  ;  the 
spirit  in  the  wheels  is  a  thousand-fold  more  real  and  per- 
sistent than  anything  which  hands  can  handle  or  eyes 
perceive.  So  with  personal  influence :  men  live,  strug- 
gle, attain  greatness ;  but  at  the  last  here  lies  Caesar  at 
the  foot  of  Pompey's  statue  so  helpless  that  you  may 
thrust  him  aside  with  your  foot.  But  you  cannot  thrust 
aside  the  impalpable,  imponderable,  intangible  thing  that 
lingers  after  him.     Influence  never  dies. 

The  truth  thus  outlined  holds  with  ten-fold  emphasis 
in  the  province  of  spiritual  things.  We  are  environed  by 
a  world  infinitely  greater  than  our  physical  horizons. 
God  and  eternity  are  round  about  us.  Now  and  then  the 
nearness  of  awful  verities  comes  to  us  as  to  weary  Balboa 
and  his  troops  came  the  sudden  glimpse  of  the  sea.  A 
hand  is  reached  down  into  our  narrow  lives  as  real  as  the 
hand  that  wrote  upon  the  palace  wall  of  Belshazzar.  In 
the  midst  of  our  sorrows  we  see  the  ladder  of  light  stretch- 
ing from  our  stony  bed  to  the  invisible  throne  of  God ; 
or  in  our  best  moments  we  are  caught  up  like  Paul  into 
a  third  heaven  of  visions,  where  we  behold  things  which 
it  is  not  lawful  to  utter.  And  notwithstanding  our  sordid 
lives,  we  believe  in  the  unseen  sublimities.  The  visible 
and  tangible  things  upon  which  we  set  our  hearts  are 
passing  away,  but  God  and  glory  and  our  heavenly  hope 
are  sublimely  real. 

All  this,  however,  is  denied  by  the  Agnostic.  "  Of 
your  heaven,"  he  says,  "  I  know  nothing.  There  may 
be  a  God  and  heaven  and  endless  life,  but  I  have  never 
seen  them.       There  are   some  things,   however,   that    I 


222  ' 'THE   MORNING   COMETH. 

know.  My  bread-and-butter  life  is  a  tangible  fact,  the 
cries  of  the  suffering  are  ringing  in  my  ears ;  the  duty 
which  should  engage  my  attention  is  to  live  an  honest, 
earnest  life,  to  do  my  best  here  and  now,  to  make  a 
livelihood,  deal  fairly  and  honestly  with  my  fellow-men, 
relieve  poverty  and  suffering,  and  make  the  world  brighter 
and  better.  I  know  this  world  and  propose  to  make  the 
best  of  it :  there  may  be  another  world,  but  I  know  noth- 
ing about  it." 

With  this  specious  form  of  unbelief  the  philosophy  of 
Jesus  is  at  odds.  It  says  this  present  life  is  real  and  ear- 
nest, most  of  all  because  it  is  the  preparation  for  an  end- 
less one.  It  bids  me  live  as  a  man  should  who  is  born  in 
the  divine  likeness.  Live  for  eternity.  Be  diligent  in  busi- 
ness, fervent  in  spirit,  serving  the  Lord.  In  all  things  be 
mindful  of  the  hereafter.     Seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God. 

II.  A  second  of  our  spiritual  landmarks  is  Revelation. 
By  this  we  mean  the  Holy  Scriptures.  All  other  views 
of  the  unseen  are  mere  fragmentary  glimpses :  for  what- 
ever communication  there  may  have  been  in  ancient  times 
between  this  world  and  heaven  through  dreams  and  vis- 
ions and  angels'  visits,  the  medium  of  intercourse  to-day 
is  the  written  Word.  From  the  Bible  we  receive  divine 
direction  as  to  our  belief  and  the  conduct  of  our  daily  life. 

The  enemy  of  Scripture  to-day  is  Rationalism,  by 
which  is  meant  any  form  of  exalting  the  reason  above  a 
"  Thus  saith  the  Lord."  We  are  told  that  the  loss  of 
Scripture  or  its  impairment  as  an  intrinsic  oracle  would 
be  of  little  relative  moment,  since  we  might  fall  back  on 
two  coordinate  sources  of  authority,  to  wit,  the  Church 
and  the  Reason. 

In  this  present  controversy  as  to  the  trustworthiness 
of  Scripture  we  have  already  sustained  a  twofold  loss : 


THE  OLD  LANDMARKS.  223 

First,  a  loss  of  reverence.  A  theory  of  criticism  which 
requires  of  us  an  absolute  surrender  of  all  prejudgments 
as  to  the  sanctity  of  Holy  Writ,  to  the  end  that  we  may 
pass  a  fair  judgment  upon  its  merits,  could  not  result 
otherwise.  It  is  not  true  that  the  Bible  must,  in  fair  criti- 
cism, be  approached  as  we  approach  any  other  book. 
We  cannot  forget  its  divineness.  "  Put  off  thy  shoes 
from  off  thy  feet ;  for  the  place  whereon  thou  standest  is 
holy  ground." 

Secondly,  a  loss  of  faith  has  been  sustained.  A  theory 
of  criticism  which  requires  the  exclusive  use  of  the  induc- 
tive process,  the  argument  from  tangible  facts  to  conclu- 
sions, rules  out  the  exercise  of  faith.  Faith  is  the  evidence 
of  things  not  seen.  The  eternal  verities  lie  within  the 
province  of  the  unseen.  Faith  takes  God  at  his  word. 
Rationalism  in  any  form  whatsoever  must  come  in  its  last 
reduction  to  the  position  of  Theodore  Parker,  who  said, 
"  I  refuse  to  accept  these  things  upon  the  authority  of  any 
such  person  as  God." 

We  are  oftentimes  reminded  nowadays  that  Christian- 
ity is  not  the  religion  of  a  book,  but  of  a  personal  Christ. 
The  truth  is,  however,  that  it  is  the  religion  of  Christ  and 
of  the  Book  as  well. 

The  landlords  of  old  England  held  their  titles  under 
the  seal  of  William  the  Conqueror.  All  those  titles  were 
recorded  in  what  is  historically  known  as  the  Domesday 
Book.  There  was  not  in  all  England  a  single  proprietor 
who  did  not  feel  that  his  property  was  a  royal  gift ;  and 
yet  there  was  not  one  who,  when  his  title  was  questioned, 
failed  to  fortify  it  by  reference  to  the  Domesday  Book. 
This  Bible  is  our  ultimate  authority  as  to  truth  and  con- 
duct, nor  can  any  man  be  loyal  to  Christ  without  being  also 
loyal  to  that  Word  whereto  Christ  has  affixed  his  seal. 


224 

III.  The  third  of  the  landmarks  is  belief  in  Christ ; 
and  is  there  indeed  danger  at  this  point  ?     Ay,  there  is  ! 

In  the  later  writings  of  John  the  Evangelist  there 
walks  a  dim  figure  which  he  calls  Antichrist.  It  has 
greatly  bewildered  exegetes  to  discover  its  meaning.  The 
fact  is,  however,  that  John  himself  declares  Antichrist  to 
be  any  form  of  philosophy  whatsoever  which  denies  the 
divine  personality  and  authority  of  the  only-begotten  Son 
of  God.  It  was  his  prediction  that  this  Antichrist  should 
come  and  exhibit  his  malignant  powers  with  special  vigor 
in  the  last  days.  We  observe  that  influence  in  many 
forms  of  humanitarianism  which  are  prevalent  to-day. 
The  arrogation  of  profound  regard  for  Jesus  and  insistence 
that  all  true  theology  shall  be  Christo-centric,  and  senti- 
mental claims  of  affection  towards  him,  are  not  sufficient 
evidence  of  real  Christianity  as  long  as  there  is  a  substan- 
tial denial  of  what  John  calls  the  "  doctrine  of  Christ." 

It  is  a  true  saying  that  straws  show  which  way  the 
wind  is  blowing.  Twenty-five  years  ago  the  rationalistic 
wing  of  the  Reformed  Church  of  Germany  was  craftily 
engaged  in  controverting  the  authenticity  of  Christ's  mir- 
acles and  the  inerrancy  of  Scripture.  To-day  the  same 
school,  led  by  Harnack,  is  demanding  the  elimination  from 
the  Apostles'  Creed  of  everything  that  teaches  the  divine- 
ness  of  Christ.  Ten  years  ago  some  theologians,  having 
disposed  of  the  integrity  of  the  Scriptures,  were  eloquently 
discoursing  of  the  "  larger  hope."  To-day  they  send  forth 
their  manifesto  for  a  "  re-statement  of  the  doctrine  of 
Christ."  In  these  tokens  of  deviation  among  the  pro- 
fessed followers  of  Christ  we  discover  a  dangerous  drift. 

As  to  the  final  outcome,  it  is  quite  beyond  peradven- 
ture  that  truth  and  righteousness  as  represented  in  the 
Christian  religion  will  triumph  over  all  the  earth.      But  it 


THE   OLD    LANDMARKS.  22$ 

is  well  to  be  informed  as  to  current  modes  of  unbelief, 
and  to  be  on  our  guard  against  them.  In  that  wonderful 
Epistle  which  the  aged  John  wrote  to  the  "  elect  lady  "  he 
cautions  her  not  to  extend  the  hospitality  of  her  home  to 
such  as  travelled  at  that  time  disseminating  false  views 
respecting  the  Saviour :  "  Receive  not  such  an  one  into 
thy  house,"  he  said  ;  "  neither  bid  him  God-speed." 

IV.  The  fourth  of  the  landmarks  is  tradition,  and  here 
I  am  aware  we  impinge  upon  the  popular  prejudice,  for 
there  is  a  clamor  in  these  times  against  all  traditionalism. 

What  is  tradition  ?  A  handing  down.  Is  a  thing 
the  worse  for  having  been  handed  down  ?  Yet  we  are  in 
constant  danger  of  running  with  the  multitude  who  clamor 
against  the  thing  that  bears  the  seal  of  antiquity.  The 
hand  o("  Progress"  is  laid  upon  this  landmark  of  truth. 
When  Madame  Roland  was  being  led  away  to  her  death, 
during  the  Reign  of  Terror,  she  looked  toward  an  image 
of  Freedom  in  the  Place  de  la  Revolution ,  saying,  "  O 
Liberty,  what  dreadful  things  are  done  in  thy  name !"  In 
like  manner  we  exclaim,  O  Progress,  what  dreadful  things 
are  being  done  in  thy  name  to-day  !  Freedom  of  thought 
is  a  sacred  thing :  but  "  Free  Thought  "  has  come  to  be  a 
hissing  and  a  by-word.  And  Progress  in  theological 
circles  has  come  to  mean  a  reckless  abandonment  of  every- 
thing that  age  has  sanctified  with  its  holy  seal. 

Is  a  thing  the  worse  for  being  well  approved  by  age  ? 
Do  we  feel  less  kindly  toward  our  President  that  in  his 
recent  inauguration  he  put  aside  the  new  imprint  of  the 
Scriptures  that  he  might  take  the  oath  of  office  upon  his 
mother's  Bible  ?  Were  the  truths  in  that  Bible  the  less 
acceptable  to  a  man  abreast  of  the  times,  because  his  mo- 
ther had  loved  and  cherished  them  ? 

This  is  the  charge  which  is  brought  against  dogma. 

*5 


226  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

It  has  forsooth  "  been  handed  down."  The  word  is  used 
for  frightening  timid  people.  In  fact  a  dogma  is  nothing 
more  nor  less  than  a  formulated  truth  bearing  the  marks 
of  age  and  of  long  trial  and  the  warrant  of  venerable 
authority.  Charcoal  and  diamonds  are  both  essentially 
the  same — both  carbon :  charcoal  was  made  but  yester- 
day, while  diamonds  have  been  under  pressure  for  ages. 
Current  opinions  are  loose  charcoal,  a  dogma  is  a  soli- 
taire. 

God  forbid  that  we  should  refuse  to  welcome  a  new 
truth  !  But,  by  the  same  token,  God  forbid  that  we  should 
part  with  the  old  without  just  reason  for  rejecting  it ! 
Let  us  sing  with  all  our  hearts, 

"Ring  out  the  old, 
Ring  in  the  new." 

And  with  all  our  hearts  let  us  add — 

"  Ring  out  the  false, 
Ring  in  the  true." 

The  Jews  lost  their  ancestral  possessions  because  they 
gave  no  heed  to  the  divine  sanctions  which  would  have 
preserved  them,  and  they  were  sent  forth  a  nomad  and 
bewildered  race  of  peddlers  and  pawnbrokers.  It  is  an 
easy  thing  to  lose  one's  spiritual  inheritance.  Let  us  take 
heed  therefore  to  the  landmarks. 

That  was  wise  counsel  which  the  aged  Paul  gave  to  his 
son  Timothy,  "  Continue  thou  in  the  things  which  thou 
hast  learned  and  hast  been  assured  of,  knowing  of  whom 
thou  hast  learned  them ;  and  in  the  Scriptures  which  are 
able  to  make  thee  wise  unto  salvation  through  faith  which 
is  in  Christ  Jesus."  O  friend,  let  no  man  rob  thee  of  thy 
patrimony  of  truth  and  virtue ;  let  no  man  take  thy  crown ! 


THE   LEAST  COMMANDMENT.  227 


THE  LEAST  COMMANDMENT. 


"If  a  bird's  nest  chance  to  be  before  thee  in  the  way,  in  any  tree,  or 
on  the  ground,  whether  they  be  young  ones  or  eggs,  and  the 
dam  sitting  upon  the  young,  or  upon  the  eggs,  thou  shalt  not 
take  the  dam  with  the  young ;  but  thou  shalt  in  any  wise  let 
the  dam  go,  and  take  the  young  to  thee  ;  that  it  may  be  well 
with  thee,  and  that  thou  mayest  prolong  thy  days." 

Deut.  22:6,  7. 

The  Jewish  lawyer  was  a  doctor  of  divinity.  The  law 
schools^oFThe  olden  times  were  theological  seminaries. 
This  was  made  necessary  by  the  fact  that  the  government 
of  Israel  was  a  Theocracy.  Its  jurisprudence  was  based 
on  the  Scriptures,  as  indeed  the  jurisprudence  of  all  the 
civilized  nations  of  the  earth  restsjjpon  the  Word  of  God. 

In  the  rabbinical  schools  of  Israel  much  attention  was 
given  to  word-weaving  and  letter-worship.  The  lawyers 
were  fond  of  counting  and  measuring  all  the  precepts  of 
the  moral  and  ceremonial  law.  They  said  there  are  two 
him^red_j^d^ojtx:eight  affirmative  and  three  hundred 
and  sixty-five  negative  precepts,  which  make  a  total  of 
six  Km  a! red  and  thirteen,  that  being  the  number  of  letters 
in  the  Decalogue  and  also,  strange  to  tell,  the  number  of 
veins  and  arteries  in  the  human  body.  The  same  conclu- 
sion was  reached  in  another  way.  The  fringe  of  the  rab- 
binical robe  was  called  tsitsith,  the  letters  of  which,  being 
used  numerically,  made  a  total  of  six  hundred ;  to 
this  add  eight  for  the  threads  of  the  braid  and  five  for  the 
knots,  and  you  have  again  six  hundred  and  thirteen — 
the  full  number  of  the  precepts  of  the  law. 


228  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

It  was  also  considered  a  fine  matter  to  discriminate 
between  the  relative  importance  of  the  various  precepts. 
Some  were  light  and  others  heavy,  they  said.  As  to 
which  was  the  greatest  of  the  commandments  there  was  a 
difference  of  opinion.  Some  said  it  was  the  Sabbath  law, 
others  the  injunction  against  idolatry,  others  still,  the  rule 
prescribing  the  breadth  of  the  phylacteries.  The  lawyer 
who  came  to  Jesus  with  the  query  "  Which  is  the  greatest 
commandment  ?"  was  tempting  him,  i.  e.,  testing  his  rabbin- 
ical wisdom.  When  the  Lord  said,  "  How  readest  thou  ?" 
he  may  have  pointed  to  the  band  upon  the  lawyer's  fore- 
head, whereon  was  written,  "  Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Lord  thy 
God  is  one  Lord  ;"  and  "  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy 
God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all 
thy  strength,  and  with  all  thy  mind."  The  Lord  pro- 
nounced this  to  be  the  greatest  of  the  commandments  and 
added,  to  the  lawyer's  discomfiture,  that  the  second  was 
similar,  "  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 
But  whatever  difference  of  opinion  there  may  have  been 
as  to  the  greatest  commandment,  there  was  a  general  con- 
sensus  as  to  the  least.  It  was  the  precept  touching  the 
despoiling  of  a  bird's  nest.  We  shall  .see,  however,  that 
there  was  not  sufficient  ground  for  this  conclusion.  We 
have  here  a  very  important  commandment,  and  there  are 
some  very  salutary  lessons  to  be  learned  from  it. 

I.  A  lesson  in  particular  ethics.  Blessed  is  the  man 
who  has  a  conscience  quick  to  discern  between  the  right 
and  wrong  in  small  matters.  There  is,  indeed,  a  popular 
prejudice  against  scrupulosity.  But  why  should  this  be? 
Our  word  scruple  is  derived  from  the  Latin  scrupulus, 
meaning  a  small  stone  or  bit  of  gravel.  It  seems  a  slight 
matter ;  but  if  it  be  under  a  man's  eyelid  it  assumes  a  su- 
preme importance ;  or  even  in  his  shoe  it  gives  him  no 


THE   LEAST   COMMANDMENT.  229 

end  of  pain,  yet  not  so  unless  he  step  upon  it.  So  is  it 
with  a  sensitive  conscience.  The  pain  is  a  word  of 
warning.  It  is  wise  to  heed  the  scruple  lest  there  be  a 
permanent  injury  to  conscience. 

We  speak  of  little  sins,  but  there  are  none.  There  is 
no  trifle  in  moral  casuistry.  How  do  we  estimate  the 
strength  of  a  building?  By  taking  the  average  of  the 
stones  and  beams  ?  No  ;  rather  by  finding  the  weakest 
stone  in  the  foundation,  the  one  that  has  a  flaw  running 
through  it.  How  do  we  estimate  the  staunchness  of  a 
ship?  By  taking  the  girth  of  its  massive  hulk  ?  or  cal- 
culating the  trustworthiness  of  its  clamps  and  rivets?  No, 
but  by  finding  its  one  worm-eaten  plank.  How  do  we 
estimate  the  strength  of  a  bridge  ?  By  the  imposing  ap- 
pearance of  its  piers  or  the  bulk  of  its  cables  ?  No,  rather 
by  the  weakest  link  in  the  chains  that  anchor  its  great 
spans.  How  do  we  know  the  strength  of  a  tiger's  cage  ? 
By  finding  its  weakest  bar,  for  this  lets  the  tiger  out.  And 
strength  of  character  is  measured  in  the  same  way.  We 
go  round  about  it  until  we  find  a  point  whereat  it  yields 
to  a  darling  sin.  Thus  it  is  wisely  written,  "  He  that  of- 
fendeth  in  one  point  is  guilty  of  the  whole  law." 

We  speak  of  small  duties — there  are  none.  The  least 
of  our  moral  obligations  has  in  it  the  sanctity  of  a  divine 
edict.  We  are  compassed  about  by  whispers ;  "  Do  this," 
says  the  still  voice,  or  "  Do  that."  And  our  character 
depends  upon  our  heeding  it.  In  the  Cathedral  of  Mo- 
dena  there  is  a  bucket  which  once  belonged  to  the  public 
well.  It  was  stolen  by  some  soldiers  in  a  frolic.  Inquiry 
was  made  and  the  bucket  was  passed  from  hand  to  hand. 
At  length  it  came  into  the  possession  of  the  young  Prince 
Henry  of  Sardinia.  A  battle  was  fought  to  secure  it. 
Prince  Henry  was  made  a  prisoner.       His  imperial  father 


230  "THE   MORNING    COMETH. 

offered  a  gold  chain  seven  miles  long  for  his  ransom.  It 
was  refused.  The  Prince  lay  twenty  years  in  prison, 
pined  away  and  died.  Meanwhile  a  war  was  fomented  in 
which  most  of  the  Governments  of  Europe  engaged  and 
which  involved  the  loss  of  thousands  of  lives.  Oh  no, 
there  are  no  trifles  in  human  life.  Or,  if  there  are,  we  are 
not  competent  to  determine  upon  them.  We  cannot  tell 
the  reach  of  their  issues.  "  How  far  yon  little  candle 
throws  its  beams."  The  safe  plan  is  to  heed  the  divine 
voice  in  all  matters  whatsoever.  "  Whatsoever  he  saith 
unto  you,  do  it." 

II.  A  lesson  in  the  law  of  kindness.  We  have  in  this 
precept  not  merely  a  precaution  against  the  extirpation  of 
a  species,  but  a  command  that  advantage  shall  not  be 
taken  of  a  mother-bird  by  reason  of  her  solicitude  for 
her  brood. 

We  emphasize  the  duty  of  beneficence  towards  our 
fellow-man.  The  good  Samaritan  is  our  ideal.  But  the 
law  of  kindness  goes  far  deeper.  It  obliges  us  to  take  an 
interest  in  the  comfort  and  well-being  of  our  poor  rela- 
tions in  the  lower  orders  of  life. 

(i.)  Here  is  a  question  of  rights.  Has  a  dumb  crea- 
ture any'rights  which  the  lords  of  creation  are  bound  to 
respect?  Jeremy  Bentham  says  wisely,  "  That  interrog- 
atory must  be  settled  by  this  other,  Can  they  suffer?" 
Anything  that  can  suffer  has  rights.  Theodore  Parker 
says  that  when  a  mere  lad  he  saw  a  turtle  on  a  log  and, 
seizing  a  stone,  crept  cautiously  towards  it;  he  raised 
the  stone,  but  heard  a  voice  within  and  could  not  throw 
it.  He  ran  to  his  mother  and  asked  her  what  this  meant. 
She  told  him  that  it  was  the  protest  of  the  doctrine  of 
rights ;  in  other  words,  the  voice  of  God. 

(2.)  Here  also  is  a  question  of  privilege,  the  high  priv- 


THE   LEAST   COMMANDMENT.  23 1 

ilege  of  manhood.  Thoreau,  of  Concord,  went  out  to 
dwell  in  the  woods  near  Walden  Pond.  He  took  no  gun 
or  rod.  The  animals  soon  found  him  out  and  said, 
"  Here  is  a  man  that  means  no  harm."  The  squirrels 
came  and  nestled  under  his  waistcoat;  the  very  fish  in 
the  pond  seemed  to  know  him.  There  was  a  pleasant 
understanding  between  him  and  the  dumb  creatures  around 
him,  and  all  the  world  loves  Thoreau  the  better  for  it. 

It  is  related  of  Abraham  Lincoln  that  when  he  was 
going  the  rounds  of  the  circuit  court  with  a  company  of 
fellow-attorneys,  the  coach  drove  by  a  pool  where  a 
wretched  swine  was  making  vain  efforts  to  extricate  itself 
from  the  mire.  The  sight  provoked  laughter,  but  Lincoln 
was  silent.  After  a  while  he  said,  "  I  do  n't  know  how 
you  feel  about  it,  gentlemen,  but  I  have  got  to  go  back." 
And  they  watched  him  while  he  returned,  went  down  into 
the  mire  and  helped  the  poor  creature  out  of  its  distress. 
We  can  but  feel  that  there  was  somehow  a  vital  connec- 
tion between  that  incident  and  the  one  which  afterwards 
made  him  immortal — the  freeing  of  four  millions  of  slaves. 

(3.)  Here  also  is  a  question  of  Christian  principle.  It 
has  been  said  that  a  man  is  not  a  true  Christian  unless  his 
cat  and  dog  are  the  better  for  it.  The  Ancient  Mariner 
was  right  when,  at  the  door  of  the  festal  hall,  he  said : 

"  Farewell,  farewell,  but  this  I  tell 
To  thee,  thou  wedding-guest : 
He  prayeth  well  who  loveth  well 
Both  man  and  bird  and  beast. 

"  He  prayeth  best  who  loveth  best 
All  things  both  great  and  small ; 
For  the  dear  God  who  loveth  us, 
He  made  and  loveth  all." 


232  "  THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

III.  Here  is  a  lesson  also  respecting  the  increase  of 
faith.  In  this  small  precept  we  have  a  deep  insight  into 
the  mind  cf  God. 

He  who  guides  the  innumerable  worlds  in  their  orbits 
cares  also  for  the  least  living  thing.  "  Are  not  two  spar- 
rows sold  for  a  farthing?"  said  the  Lord;  "and  one  of 
them  shall  not  fall  on  the  ground  without  thy  Father." 
He  saw  the  sparrows  exposed  for  sale  in  the  gateways  of 
Jerusalem,  plucked  and  strung  on  a  willow  twig,  two  for  a 
farthing.  And  God  cared  for  them.  Then  came  that 
glorious  argu7nentum  a  fortiori,  "  Shall  he  not  much  more 
care  for  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith  ?  The  very  hairs  of  your 
head  are  all  numbered." 

Wh^L.do  we  doubt  the  special  providences  of  God  ? 
Was  it  strange  that  Molinaeus,  taking  refuge  in  an  oven 
on  the  night  of  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  should 
be  spared?  "  O  God,"  he  prayed,  <(  cover  me  with  thy 
hand !"  And  while  he  prayed  a  spider  wove  its  web 
across  the  oven's  mouth ;  a  gust  of  wind  filled  the  web 
with  dust ;  the  dew  came  down  and  in  the  early  morning 
glistened  upon  it.  The  fugitive's  heart  stood  still  as  the 
footfall  of  his  pursuers  came  nigh  ;  but  seeing  the  spider's 
web,  they  said,  "  He  is  not  here,"  and  passed  on.  Thus 
the  God  who  hears  the  chirp  of  the  sparrow  hearkens  to 
his  people's  cry.  "  Are  ye  not  of  more  value  than  many 
sparrows,  and  shall  he  not  care  for  you  ?" 

O  friend,  art  thou  cumbered  with  much  serving  ?  bur- 
dened with  the  cares  of  a  busy  life  ?  "  Unbind  thy  brow," 
as  quaint  George  Herbert  says.  Take  no  anxious  thought. 
Rest  thou  in  God.  Wait  thou  upon  him.  He  that  be- 
lieveth  shall  not  make  haste.  Art  thou  groping  in  quest 
of  truth  as  blind  men  feel  their  way  along  the  wall  ?  Art 
thou  eager  to  know  the  great  verities  ?    Let  Him  take  thy 


THE   LEAST   COMMANDMENT.  233 

hand  and  lead  thee  into  light.  Let  him  lead  thee  to  Cal- 
vary, where  the  voice  speaks,  "Thy  sins  be  forgiven 
thee !"  and  then  let  him  lead  thee  over  the  hill  of  Re- 
demption into  the  tasks  and  responsibilities  of  an  ear- 
nest life.  Art  thou  aj^id_of^theJuture  ?  Ah  yes,  we  are 
all  afraid.  Who  knoweth  what  the  future,  what  the 
morrow,  shall  bring  forth?  But  why  should  we  fear? 
"  Ye  believe  in  God,  believe  also  in  Me.  Let  not  your 
heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid."  The  Lord, 
who  remembers  the  mother-bird  and  her  unfledged  young, 
will  not  be  unmindful  of  us.  To-morrow  is  a  grisly 
giant,  who,  like  Goliath,  comes  to  meet  us,  brandishing  a 
spear  like  a  weaver's  beam,  and  saying,  "  I  will  give  thy 
carcass  to  the  beasts  and  the  vultures."  But  let  us  gather 
up  the  Lord's  promises  as  the  stripling  took  the  smooth 
stones  from  the  brook  for  his  sling,  and  let  us  go  forth 
and  meet  this  giant  in  full  confidence,  saying,  "  Thou 
comest  to  me  with  sword  and  buckler,  but  I  come  to  thee 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  my  God."  O  blessed  faith  !  Be- 
lieve— only  believe ;  be  able  to  say,  with  the  apostle 
Paul,  "  I  know  whom  I  have  believed,  and  that  he  is  able 
to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  to  him  against  that 
day." 

Of  all  that  the  poet  Bryant  has  written  there  is  nothing 
more  helpful  than  his  "  Odeto  a  Water-fowl."  Its  lesson 
is  plain  to  one  who  has  ever  noted  the  lone  wanderer  sep- 
arated by  the  huntsman's  gun  from  his  fellows,  pursuing 
his  way  at  a  majestic  height,  guided  unerringly  along  the 
path  marked  out  for  him  : 

"  Whither,  'midst  falling  dew, 

While  glow  the  heavens  with  the  last  steps  of  day, 
Far  through  their  rosy  depths  dost  thou  pursue 
Thy  solitary  way? 


234  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

"  Vainly  the  fowler's  eye 

Might  mark  thy  distant  flight  to  do  thee  wrong, 
As  darkly  limned  upon  the  crimson  sky 
Thy  figure  floats  along. 

"Seek'st  thou  the  plashy  brink 

Of  weedy  lake  or  marge  of  river  wide, 
Or  where  the  rocking  billows  rise  and  sink 
On  the  chafed  ocean  side  ? 

"There  is  a  Power  whose  care 

Teaches  thy  way  along  the  pathless  coast, 
The  desert  and  illimitable  air, 

Lone  wandering  but  not  lost. 

"  All  day  thy  wings  have  fanned 

At  that  far  height  the  cold  thin  atmosphere, 
Yet  stoop  not,  weary,  to  the  welcome  land, 
Though  the  dark  night  is  near. 

"And  soon  thy  toil  shall  end  ; 

Soon  shalt  thou  find  a  summer  home,  and  rest 
And  scream  among  thy  fellows  ;  reeds  shall  bend 
Soon  o'er  thy  sheltered  nest. 

"Thou  art  gone !     The  abyss  of  heaven 

Hath  swallowed  up  thy  form  ;  yet  in  my  heart 
Deeply  hath  sunk  the  lesson  thou  hast  given, 
And  shall  not  soon  depart. 

"  He  who  from  zone  to  zone 

Guides  through  the  doundless  sky  thy  certaifi  flight, 
In  the  long  way  that  I  must  tread  alone 
Will  lead  my  steps  aright." 


SINGING  AS  WE  JOURNEY.  235 


SINGING  AS  WE  JOURNEY. 


"And  when  they  had  sung  a  hymn,  they  went  out  into  the  Mount  of 
Olives."    Matt.  26:30. 

The  upper  chamber  in  Jerusalem,  Thursday,  thir- 
teenth Nisan.  A  memorable  time  and  a  memorable  place. 
It  was  then  and  there  that  Jesus,  girding  himself  with  a 
towel,  and  basin  in  hand,  washed  his  disciples'  feet,  say- 
ing, "  I  have  given  you  an  example,  that  ye  should  do 
unto  one  another  as  I  have  done  unto  you."  It  was  then 
and  there  that  he  instituted  the  Holy  Supper,  the  simple 
feast  of  bread  and  wine  which  through  all  the  centuries  has 
commemorated  his  vicarious  death.  It  was  then  and  there 
that  he  bequeathed  to  his  disciples  his  unspeakable  peace, 
"  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid." 
It  was  then  and  there  He  made  his  priestly  supplication, 
"  Father,  the  hour  is  come ;  glorify  thy  Son,  that  thy  Son 
also  may  glorify  thee.  I  pray  for  them  which  thou  hast 
given  me,  for  they  are  thine :  all  mine  are  thine,  and  thine 
are  mine  ;  and  I  am  glorified  in  them.  Holy  Father,  keep 
through  thine  own  name  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me, 
that  they  may  be  one,  as  we  are." 

Then,  the  sermon  and  prayer  being  over,  they  sang  a 
hymn  and  went  out.  As  was  customary  on  the  night 
preceding  the  Passover,  they  doubtless  sang  the  great 
Hallel,  "  Oh  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  is  good, 
his  mercy  endureth  for  ever.  The  voice  of  rejoicing  and 
salvation  is  in   the  tabernacle  of  the  righteous.       The 


236  "THE    MORNING    COMETH." 

right  hand  of  the  Lord  doeth  valiantly.  The  stone  which 
the  builders  refused  is  become  the  head-stone  of  the  cor- 
ner. Blessed  be  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 
Bind  the  sacrifice  with  cords  fast  unto  the  horns  of  the 
altar.  Oh  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  good,  his 
mercy  endureth  for  ever." 

I.  It  is  pleasant  to  know  that  Jesus  sang.  We  some- 
times think  of  him  as  an  austere  man.  In  Quentin  Mat- 
sy's  masterpiece  he  is  represented  with  dishevelled  locks, 
hollowed  cheeks,  eyes  dimmed,  and  brows  overarched 
with  anguish  —  a  man  of  sorrows,  acquainted  with  grief. 
He  was,  however,  no  cynic,  no  anchorite,  but  a  man 
among  men.  It  is  not  recorded  that  he  ever  laughed,  yet 
his  heart  must  have  been  full  of  laughter;  for,  seeing  the 
sorrow  of  the  world,  he  saw  the  joy  beyond  it.  All  men 
laugh  unless  they  are  stolid  or  dyspeptic,  and  he  was 
neither.  On  this  occasion  he  was  passing  into  the  dark 
shadow  of  the  cross,  yet  he  joined  in  the  great  Hallel, 
"  Oh  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  is  good,  for  his 
mercy  endureth  for  ever." 

Why  should  not  Jesus  sing  ? 

(1.)  His  heart  was  in  sympathy  with  all  things  pure 
and  lovely  and  of  good  report.  The  town  where  he  spent 
his  boyhood  is  overlooked  by  a  precipitous  hill  six  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  is  not  to  be 
doubted  that  oftentimes  he  climbed  up  yonder  to  com- 
mune with  God.  The  mountain  flowers  were  about  his 
feet,  and  every  one  of  them  was  like  a  swinging  censer  full 
of  perfume.  All  about  him  were  orchards  and  vineyards 
and  verdant  pastures,  and  every  grass-blade  was  inscribed 
with  his  Father's  name.  He  watched  the  eagles  pois- 
ing in  the  cloudless  azure  and  heard  the  hum  of  busy  life 
in  the  village  below ;  saw  Tabor  to  the  eastward  clothed 


SINGING  AS   WE  JOURNEY.  237 

with  oak  and  terebinth,  and  beyond  the  western  hills  the 
mists  rising  from  the  Great  Sea;  to  the  south  lay  the 
plain  of  Esdraelon,  scene  of  a  hundred  battles,  and  far 
beyond  were  the  gleaming  domes  of  the  Holy  City.  How 
the  soul  of  this  Jewish  youth  must  have  rejoiced  in  the 
memories  of  the  past  and  in  the  promises  of  the  future 
triumph  of  Israel's  God !  His  heart  gave  thanks  with  the 
leaping  of  the  brooks ;  the  birds  sang  and  he  sang  with 
them. 

(2.)  Why  should  not  Jesus  sing?  He  had  a  clear 
conscience,  of  all  living  men  the  one  only  who  knew  no 
sin.  He  only  could  go  to  his  rest  at  eventide  with  no 
cry,  "  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  God !  against  thee  have 
I  sinned  and  done  evil  in  thy  sight."  For  him  there 
were  no  vain  regrets,  no  "  might  have  beens."  There 
was  no  guile  in  his  heart,  no  guile  on  his  lips.  He  was 
conscious  of  no  war  in  his  members,  his  soul  was  set 
on  the  discharge  of  duty.  Out  on  yonder  hilltop  he 
watched  the  sun  rise,  "  as  a  bridegroom  coming  out  of 
his  chamber,  and  rejoicing  as  a  strong  man  to  run  a  race." 
He  himself  had  thus  issued  from  the  palace  of  heaven. 
He  had  before  him  the  great  work  of  redemption.  No 
being  in  the  universe  ever  confronted  so  stupendous  a 
task,  yet  he  shrank  not,  murmured  not.  "  Lo,  I  come," 
said  he ;  "  in  the  volume  of  the  book  it  is  written  of  me, 
I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  O  my  God." 

(3.)  Why  should  not  Jesus  sing?  He  clearly  foresaw 
the  ultimate  triumph  of  truth  and  goodness.  "  For  the 
joy  that  was  set  before  him  he  endured  the  cross,  despi- 
sing the  shame."  Out  on  yonder  hill  at  evening  he 
watched  the  sun  go  down  in  golden  glory.  Red  banners 
waved ;  the  spear-points  of  the  heavenly  host  shone  with 
crimson  splendor  as  they  came  forth  marching  to  the  great 


238  "  THE   MORNING   COMETH. 

Armageddon,  the  final  consummation  of  all  things.  Up 
yonder  he  heard  the  clash  of  arms  and  the  cry,  "  Baby- 
lon the  great  has  fallen  !  has  fallen !"  and  the  rattle  of 
chains  as  the  great  enemy  fell  headlong  into  the  abyss, 
and  then  a  rolling  back  of  the  mighty  gates  and  the  glad 
acclaim  of  welcome,  "  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates, 
and  be  ye  lift  up,  ye  everlasting  doors,  and  the  King  of 
glory  shall  come  in.  Who  is  this  King  of  glory  ?  The 
Lord  of  hosts,  he  is  the  King  of  glory."  He  saw  thus  the 
end  from  the  beginning.  He  knew  that  he  was  to  see  the 
fruit  of  the  travail  of  his  soul.  He  knew  that  his  blood 
would  water  the  world's  wildernesses  until  they  should 
bloom  like  rose  gardens.  He  knew  that,  whatever  rebuffs 
and  reverses  there  might  be,  truth  and  righteousness  were 
sure  to  triumph  in  the  end. 

"The  eternal  step  of  Progress  beats 
To  that  great  anthem,  strong  and  slow, 
Which  God  repeats." 

There  would  be  martyr-fires  and  persecutions  and  the 
souls  of  the  faithful  would  tremble  within  them,  but  his 
trembled  not. 

"  Take  heart,  the  waster  builds  again  ; 
A  charmed  life  old  Goodness  hath. 
The  tares  may  perish,  but  the  grain 
Is  not  for  death." 

He  knew  that  through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  history  the 
irresistible  God  would  sit  upon  his  throne,  that  everything 
would  be  overruled  to  His  ultimate  glory.  Oh  if  we  could 
only  perceive  this !  If  only  we  had  somewhat  of  the  Mas- 
ter's faith ! 

"  God  works  in  all  things  ;  all  obey 
His  first  propulsion  from  the  night; 
Wait,  thou,  and  watch,  the  world  is  gray 
With  morning  light." 


SINGING  AS   WE  JOURNEY.  239 

II.  Observe  that  the  disciples  of  Jesus  sang  with  him. 
The  visible  Church  was  gathered  around  the  sacramental 
table  that  night,  and  the  upper  chamber  was  filled  with 
the  gladness  of  thanksgiving.  I  seem  to  hear  two  voices, 
deep  and  rotund,  accustomed  to  shouting  through  the  tur- 
moil of  the  stormy  lake — the  Sons  of  Thunder.  Another 
voice  is  a  clear  tenor,  sonorous  and  perceptible  among 
them  all,  that  of  Matthew  the  publican.  Another  is  timid 
and  tremulous,  for  neither  in  song  nor  otherwise  was  doubt- 
ing Thomas  ever  quite  sure  of  himself.  One  was  a  hoarse, 
strident  voice,  making  discord;  brave,  blundering  Peter 
might  have  no  voice  nor  ear  for  music,  but  sure  am  I  he 
always  did  his  part  in  making  a  joyful  noise  unto  the  Lord. 
And  while  all  these  united  in  the  great  Hallel,  under  the 
windows  a  watchman,  or  some  belated  Jerusalemite  per- 
haps, paused  and  listened  and  wondered  who  could  be 
singing  thus  at  dead  of  night. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  the  singing  church.  Taci- 
tus says  that  the  Christians  were  wont  to  rise  at  daybreak 
and  in  retired  places  sing  to  the  honor  of  the  Christ,  whom 
they  worshipped  as  God.  The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
has  come  down  through  the  ages  like  a  bird  singing  ever 
with  the  dew  of  morning  on  its  wings. 

(1.)  It  is  meet  and  proper  that  we  should  sing  in  the 
services  of  the  sanctuary.  In  Solomon's  temple,  when  the 
sons  of  Asaph  in  their  white  linen  raised  the  tune,  accom- 
panied with  the  great  orchestra  of  harps  and  cymbals 
and  followed  by  the  mighty  choirs  shouting  back  from 
the  galleries  in  antiphonal  service,  the  cloudy  Presence 
came  forth  from  behind  the  fine-twined  curtains  and  filled 
the  sacred  place ;  so  while  we  sing,  the  doors  of  the  sanc- 
tuary move  upon  their  hinges  and  He  enters,  whose  pres- 
ence brings  to  us  fulness  of  life  and  joy. 


240  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

(2.)  It  is  meet  and  proper  that  we  should  always  sing 
as  we  go  about  our  tasks.  The  carpenter  does  better  work 
if  he  whistles  as  he  drives  his  plane.  The  Puritan  girl  in 
"  The  Minister's  Wooing,"  humming  the  old  Psalm  tunes, 
might  well  make  her  lover  think  of  heaven  and  angels. 
The  soldiers,  a  hundred  locked  to  every  one  of  the  great 
guns,  vainly  sought  to  climb  the  steep  ascent  of  St.  Ber- 
nard until  the  flutes  struck  up  La  Marseillaise,  "  Ye  sons 
of  freedom,  wake  to  glory  !"  We  also  lift  our  burdens  the 
more  easily,  meet  our  sorrows  the  more  resignedly,  per- 
form our  services  and  tasks  the  more  joyously,  when  God's 
praises  are  ringing  in  our  hearts. 

(3.)  And  in  sorrow  God  giveth  his  people  "songs 
in  the  night."  Paul  and  Silas  at  Philippi,  their  feet  in 
the  stocks,  their  backs  tingling  with  the  pain  of  recent 
scourging,  made  the  dungeon  ring  with  song,  insomuch 
"  that  the  prisoners  heard  them."  It  was  a  most  unusual 
sound.  Those  dark  corridors  had  rung  with  oaths  and 
curses  many  a  time ;  but  who  were  these  that  could  uplift 
at  midnight  the  melodies  of  thanksgiving?  "The  pris- 
oners heard  them."  Ay,  beloved,  the  prisoners  always 
hear  us  when  we  praise  God  in  the  darkness.  And  why 
should  we  not?  We  do  not  sorrow  as  those  who  are 
without  hope.  Has  Death  entered  your  doorway  ?  Then 
conventionality  has  always  said,  "  Draw  the  blinds,  shut 
out  the  sunlight,  drape  the  mirrors,  weep  copious  tears." 
But  God's  angels  come,  saying,  "  Ye  are  not  children  of 
the  darkness  but  of  the  light ;  sing  therefore, 

"Let  sorrow's  rudest  tempest  blow, 
Each  chord  on  earth  to  sever : 
Our  King  says,  '  Come  !'  and  there 's  our  home, 
For  ever  and  for  ever." 

Old  wrinkled  Time  says,  "  This  is  not  your  abiding- 


SINGING  AS   WE  JOURNEY.  241 

place."  The  angel  says,  "  Ye  seek  another  country,  even 
a  heavenly,  and  a  city  that  hath  foundations,  whose  build- 
er and  maker  is  God."   Sing  then, 

"O  mother  dear,  Jerusalem,  when  shall  I  come  to  thee? 
When  shall  my  sorrows  have  an  end,  thy  joys  when  shall  I 
see?" 

Pilgrim,  in  the  allegory,  went  singing  clear  from  the 
City  of  Destruction  to  heaven's  pearly  gate.  He  sang  as 
he  dragged  himself  out  of  the  Slough  of  Despond,  as  he 
climbed  the  Hill  of  Difficulty,  after  his  fight  with  Apollyon, 
past  the  Giant's  cave,  in  the  Pleasant  Meadows,  by  the 
River  of  Life,  when  he  escaped  from  Doubting  Castle,  as 
he  journeyed  through  the  Delectable  Gardens  in  the  land 
of  Beulah,  and  so  until  he  passed  through  heaven's  gate. 
Nor  did  his  singing  end  there,  nor  shall  ours  end  there. 

Could  we  look  aloft  at  this  moment  and  see  through  the 
open  windows,  our  eyes  would  be  dazzled  by  the  efful- 
gence of  the  glory  which  gathers  about  Him  who  sitteth 
upon  the  throne ;  we  should  hear  the  four-and-twenty  eld- 
ers lift  their  voices  in  the  great  Hallel  and  the  circle  of  angels 
and  archangels,  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  and 
thousands  of  thousands,  swelling  the  great  anthem,  "  O 
give  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  is  good,  for  his  mercy 
endureth  for  ever  and  ever,"  and  the  still  greater  multi- 
tude which  no  man  can  number,  of  saints  triumphant,  add- 
ing their  voices  to  the  general  praise,  "Worthy  is  the 
Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power  and  riches  and  wis- 
dom and  strength  and  honor  and  glory  and  blessing." 

But,  good  friend,  you  cannot  join  this  chorus  unless  you 

believe  in  Christ ;  it  is  faith  that  pitches  the  tune.     How 

shall  we  sing  the  Lord's  song  in  a  strange  land  ?     We 

must  stand  with  him  at  the  Sacrament  in  the  upper  cham- 

16 


242  "THE    MORNING    COMETH." 

ber  and  hear  his  assurance  of  pardon  and  receive  his 
benediction,  "  Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my  peace  I  give 
unto  you :  not  as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you.  Let 
not  your  heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid,"  if  you 
would  make  mirth  in  your  heart  unto  him.  Let  us  pray 
the  prayer  of  David,  "  Open  thou  my  lips,  that  my  mouth 
may  show  forth  thy  praise,"  for  our  sins,  our  shame,  and  our 
sorrow  have  closed  our  lips.  God's  love  in  Jesus  Christ 
can  put  into  our  hands  the  harp  that  too  long  has  hung 
upon  the  willows  and  can  attune  our  souls  to  the  song  of 
salvation.  "  I  waited  patiently  for  the  Lord  ;  and  he  in- 
clined unto  me  and  heard  my  cry.  He  brought  me  up 
also  out  of  a  horrible  pit,  out  of  the  miry  clay,  and  set 
my  feet  upon  a  rock,  and  established  my  goings.  And  he 
hath  put  a  new  song  into  my  mouth,  even  praise  unto  our 
God :  many  shall  see  it  and  fear,  and  shall  trust  in  the 
Lord." 


THE   HAPPY   MAN.  243 


THE  HAPPY  MAN. 


Blessed  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the  counsel  of  the  ungodly, 
nor  standeth  in  the  way  of  sinners,  nor  sitteth  in  the  seat  of 
the  scornful:  but  his  delight  is  in  the  law  of  the  Lord;  and 
in  his  law  doth  he  meditate  day  and  night.  And  he  shall  be 
like  a  tree  planted  by  the  rivers  of  water,  that  bringeth  forth 
his  fruit  in  his  season  ;  his  leaf  also  shall  not  wither ;  and 
whatsoever  he  doeth  shall  prosper.  The  ungodly  are  not  so; 
but  are  like  the  chaff  which  the  wind  driveth  away.  Therefore 
the  ungodly  shall  not  stand  in  the  judgment,  nor  sinners  in 
the  congregation  of  the  righteous.  For  the  Lord  knoweth  the 
way  of  the  righteous:  but  the  way  of  the  ungodly  shall  perish. 


The  opening  words  of  this  Psalm  furnish  its  title, 
Ashrey  ha-ish,  literally,  O  the  happinesses  of  that  man  !  It 
is  as  if  the  Psalmist  were  present  and  bidding  us  behold  in 
this  Happy  Man  a  realization  of  the  universal  hope.  For 
there  is  no  person  living  who  does  not  desire  to  be  happy* 
Yet  this  desire  is  likely  to  be  thwarted  by  the  very  eager- 
ness with  which  we  pursue  it.  It  is  a  true  saying, "  Happi- 
ness is  a  coy  jade,  ever  fleeing  from  him  who  pursueth  her." 

"  No  man,"  said  Solon,  "  is  happy  until,  mayhap, 
after  he  dies."  The  testimony  of  Abd-er-Rahman,  the 
Caliph  of  Cordova,  was  of  similar  import.  "  Fifty  years 
have  elapsed,"  said  he,  "since  I  began  to  rule;  I  have 
had  friends,  riches,  and  honors  in  abundance.  On  reckon- 
ing up  the  days  wherein  I  could  say  I  was  happy  in  them, 
I  find  they  have  been  fourteen  days  in  all." 

If  ever  a  man  pursued  happiness  under  the  most 
favorable   conditions,   it   was    King   Solomon.     He   had 


244  ''THE   MORNING   COMETH. 

wealth  without  stint.  He  sat  upon  a  golden  bull,  with  six 
golden  lions  at  his  feet.  His  stables  were  on  the  most 
magnificent  scale.  His  gardens  were  called  paradises. 
An  army  of  cup-bearers  and  other  attendants  waited  upon 
him.  He  had  men  and  women  singers  and  all  sorts  of 
retainers  to  delight  him.  Yet  this  was  his  conclusion  of 
the  whole  matter,  "  Vanity  of  vanities,  all  is  vanity."  And 
with  respect  to  the  pursuit  of  pleasure  particularly,  he 
said,  "  Of  laughter,  it  is  mad  ;  and  of  mirth,  what  doeth 
it?" 

But  here  our  attention  is  directed  to  a  happy  man. 
John  Trapp  said  quaintly,  in  1660,  "The  Psalmist  hath 
said  here  more  to  the  point  respecting  happiness  than  all 
the  philosophers  ;  for  while  they  beat  the  bush,  he  hath  put 
the  bird  into  our  hand." 

I.  As  to  the  character  of  this  happy  man.  "  He 
walketh  not  in  the  counsel  of  the  ungodly,  nor  standeth  in 
the  way  of  sinners,  nor  sitteth  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful." 
In  other  words,  he  is  described  as  being  in  the  world  but 
not  of  it. 

A  man  who  would  meet  the  conditions  of  his  being 
must  be  in  the  world  as  a  living  part  of  it.  The  Master's 
plea  for  his  disciples  was,  "  I  pray  not  that  thou  shouldst 
take  them  out  of  the  world,  but  that  thou  shouldst  keep 
them  from  the  evil."  The  monks  of  the  olden  time  made 
a  great  mistake  when,  feeling  that  the  world  was  very  evil, 
they  sought  to  escape  defilement  by  retiring  from  it.  In 
the  solitude  of  the  cloisters  they  passed  the  time  in 
droning  their  prayers,  in  illuminating  missals,  and  count- 
ing their  beads.  Under  the  very  shadow  of  the  monastery 
walls  the  unshod  people  were  crying  out  in  their  distress 
for  everything  that  makes  life  worth  the  living.  There 
was  a  famine  of  the  Word,  there  was  a  universal  call  for 


THE    HAPPY    MAN.  245 

help  ;  but  the  anchorites  at  their  solitary  devotions  made 
no  response  to  it.  No,  this  is  not  the  Christian  life.  We 
must  needs  be  in  the  world — not  dreamers  among  the 
shadows,  but  men  among  men.  The  world  has  need  of 
us.  The  workshop  and  the  office  demand  us.  The  secu- 
lar cares  of  this  world  are,  of  necessity,  upon  us.  Let  us 
fall  in  with  the  glorious  army  of  producers  and  desire  to 
add  to  the  world's  possession  of  material  good.  To  be 
diligent  in  business  is  an  essential  part  of  a  religious  life. 
Our  Lord  might  have  come  upon  his  great  errand  of  de- 
liverance in  the  guise  of  a  heavenly  prince  with  the  halo 
about  his  brow,  but  he  did  not.  He  might  have  come  as 
a  philosopher,  holding  himself  aloof  from  the  masses, 
dreaming  dreams  and  seeing  visions,  but  he  did  not.  He 
was  a  man  of  the  people,  one  of  the  great  multitude  of 
average  men.  He  entered  into  the  fellowship  of  com- 
mon toil,  made  ploughs  and  harrows,  talked  with  his  fel- 
low-townsmen about  the  passing  affairs  of  life,  and  was  a 
man  among  men — as  we  should  be. 

But  the  secret  of  true  happiness  is  non-conformity. 
Being  in  the  world,  we  should  not  be  of  it.  While  our 
associations  must  needs  be  in  some  measure  with  the 
ungodly,  their  counsels,  their  way,  and  their  seats  are  not 
for  us.  There  is  a  vital  difference  between  those  whose 
interests  are  absorbed  in  the  perishable  things  of  this 
world  and  such  as  have  their  conversation  in  heaven — 
as  real  a  difference  as  there  is  between  a  light-ship 
anchored  far  out  at  sea,  tossed  by  the  winds,  beaten  by 
the  roaring  storms,  yet  never  moved  from  its  moorings, 
and  the  mighty  ship  that  sails  past  with  its  canvas  set, 
breasting  the  waves  and  hastening  on  to  its  desired  haven. 
God's  people  go  to  their  offices  and  their  work-shops 
just  like  other  men,  but  their  affections  are  not  set  upon 


246  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

this  world;  they  are  ever  mindful  of  their  noble  birth, 
their  divine  inheritance,  their  glorious  destiny.  Their 
happiness  is  not  worn  upon  their  sleeves ;  but  they  know 
that  earth  is  not  their  abiding-place,  and  that  after  a 
while  their  pilgrimage  will  end  in  a  blaze  of  glory  at 
heaven's  gate. 

It  is  written,  "  By  faith  Abraham,  when  he  was  called 
to  go  out  into  a  place  which  he  should  after  receive  for 
an  inheritance,  obeyed  and  went  out,  not  knowing 
whither  he  went."  No  doubt,  as  he  journeyed  along  the 
banks  of  the  Euphrates,  he  passed  through  many  a  ham- 
let where  men  were  dwelling  in  houses  which  their  fathers 
had  built.  And  doubtless  they  said,  "Abide  with  us." 
But  the  voice  from  heaven  bade  him  journey  on.  We 
also  have  no  abiding  city  here.  We  dwell  in  tabernacles, 
looking  for  a  better  country,  even  a  heavenly,  and  for  a 
city  which  hath  foundations,  whose  builder  and  maker  is 
God. 

The  man  who  realizes  this  non  -  conformity  in  his 
daily  life  has  reached  the  state  of  truest  happiness  which 
this  world  can  give.  He  is  superior  to  all  the  vicissitudes 
of  this  present  world.  His  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God. 
Oh  the  happinesses  of  that  man  ! 

II.  The  secret  of  the  happiness  of  that  man  is  said 
to  be  in  his  attitude  towards  tlie  divine  law.  The  "  Law 
of  the  Lord"  was  a  Jewish  phrase  for  the  Scriptures. 
The  happy  man  possesses  a  right  estimate  of  the  import- 
ance of  the  Word  of  God. 

In  one  of  Joseph  Parkers  sermons  he  says,  "  Why  is 
there  so  much  incertitude  in  Christian  profession  and  ol 
inconsistency  in  Christian  life?  Because  we  have  lost 
our  Bible."  I  do  not  believe,  however,  that  the  case  is  so 
bad.     It  is   true  that  a  multitude  of  people  are   losing 


THE   HAPPY   MAN.  247 

their  faith  in  the  Scriptures  as  an  infallible  rule  of  faith 
and  practice.  And  wherever  that  occurs  the  result  is 
doubt  and  bewilderment.  For  this  reason  it  is  surmised 
that  the  present  biblical  controversy  is  unspeakably  por- 
tentous of  evil.  We  have  confidence  to  believe,  however, 
that  the  vast  multitudes  of  God's  people  are  still  loyal  to 
revealed  truth.  They  still  hearken  to  the  divine  oracle 
as  the  court  of  last  appeal  in  all  matters  of  truth  and 
righteousness.  They  believe  with  all  their  hearts  in  these 
things  which  have  been  revealed  from  on  high  through 
holy  men  who  wrote  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Spirit 
of  God. 

(1.)  The  man  who  by  reason  of  his  happiness  is  here 
called  to  our  attention  as  "  that  man,"  is  said  to  be  a 
reader  of  the  Scriptures. 

It  is  one  of  the  hopeful  signs  of  the  times  that  the  army 
of  young  people  who  constitute  the  Society  of  Christian 
Endeavor  are  pledged  as  follows  :  "  Trusting  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  for  strength  I  promise  him  that  I  will  do 
whatever  he  would  like  to  have  me  do ;  that  I  will  make 
it  the  rule  of  my  life  to  pray  and  to  read  the  Bible 
every  day." 

No  man  can  be  a  happy  Christian  who  does  not  hold 
communion  with  God  through  the  appointed  means. 
Thomas  a  Kempis  said,  "  I  am  never  so  happy  as  when 
in  a  nook  with  the  Book." 

(2.)  The  man  here  referred  to  reads  the  Scriptures 
"  with  delight." 

We  are  much  given  in  these  times  to  a  critical  study 
of  the  Word.  It  must  not  be  assumed,  however,  that  the 
biblical  expert  gets  the  deepest  or  most  comprehensive 
grasp  of  the  truth.  The  way  to  appreciate  the  beauty  of 
Murillo's  picture  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  is  not  to 


248  "THE    MORNING    COMETH." 

approach  it  with  spatula  and  ammonia  for  purposes  of 
minute  analysis,  but  rather  to  gaze  upon  it  until  we 
are  filled  with  the  mighty  thoughts  that  went  surging 
through  the  soul  of  the  master  genius  v/ho  painted  it.  It 
is  quite  possible  to  know  a  thing  too  well  to  understand 
it.  In  all  literature  there  is  scarcely  anything  finer  than 
Mark  Antony's  oration  over  the  body  of  Caesar,  yet  we 
smile  at  the  mere  suggestion  of  it : 

"  Friends,  Romans,  countrymen,  lend  me  your  ears  ; 
I  come  to  bury  Caesar,  not  to  praise  him. 
The  evil  that  men  do  lives  after  them  ; 
The  good  is  oft  interred  with  their  bones  : 
So  let  it  be  with  Caesar." 

The  reason  why  it  fails  to  impress  us  is  because  in  the  old 
school-days  we  parsed  the  life  out  of  it.  We  resolved  its 
oratorical  beauty  into  mere  nominative  cases  and  transi- 
tive verbs.  It  is  much  to  be  feared  that  in  like  manner 
we  fritter  away  the  glory  of  the  Scriptures  in  mere 
analysis.  However  we  may  devote  ourselves  to  the 
criticism  of  the  text,  let  us  be  sure  that  the  immense  veri- 
ties and  spiritual  sublimities  do  not  lose  their  hold  upon 
us. 

(3)  This  happy  man  not  only  reads  the  Scriptures 
with  delight,  but  he  meditates  in  them. 

The  introduction  of  the  art  of  printing  has  not  been 
without  its  compensation  of  evil.  Time  was  when  the 
Bible  was  chained  to  the  cathedral  altar.  In  those  days 
it  was  a  labor  of  love  to  reach  it.  The  penitent  sinner 
came  and  turned  over  the  leaves  of  the  parchment  until 
he  came  to  the  place  where  it  is  written,  "  Though  your 
sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow ;  though 
they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool !  "  He 
read  that  over  and   over    again  and  took  it  away  with 


THE   HAPPY    MAN.  249 

him.  The  man  in  trouble  came  and  knelt,  with  his  great 
burden,  before  the  pages  of  the  chained  book  and  found 
the  place  where  it  says,  "  Come  unto  Me,  all  ye  that  labor 
and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  And  he 
rolled  that  over  like  a  sweet  morsel  under  his  tongue  and 
gave  it  a  lodgment  in  heart  and  memory.  The  little 
children  were  brought  by  their  parents  and  permitted  to 
touch  the  passage  where  it  says,  "  Suffer  the  children  to 
come  unto  me  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  And  though  possibly  they  never 
saw  the  book  again  in  all  their  lives,  they  remembered  that 
and  were  helped  by  it.  But  nowadays  we  read  and  run, 
and  running  we  forget.  We  need  to  cultivate  the  habit 
of  meditating  in  the  Word.  For  truth  is  inexhaus- 
tible ;  it  is  a  bottomless  mine  of  strength  and  comfort. 
The  deeper  we  dig,  the  more  gold  we  get.  The  word 
"  meditateth  "  in  this  place  is  rendered  by  St.  Augustine, 
"  chattereth."  In  God's  law  this  man  "  chattereth  day 
and  night."  So  in  these  spring-time  days  as  we  pass 
along  the  streets  we  hear  the  sparrows  chattering  with 
their  hearts  full  of  the  prophecy  of  bloom  and  fruitful- 
ness.  So  glad  and  happy  are  the  souls  that  meditate 
with  delight  in  the  divine  law.  The  truth  is  like  an  Ori- 
ental bride  who  never  lifts  her  veil  save  for  the  one  who 
loves  her.  To  see  her  face  is  the  privilege  of  the  chosen 
one.     Oh  the  happinesses  of  that  man  ! 

III.  We  observe  now  the  outcome  of  this  happy 
life,  to  wit,  fruitfulness.  "  He  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted 
by  the  rivers  of  water  !  " 

(1)  This  life  is  rooted  well.  It  is  nourished  by  the 
river  that  flows  from  the  throne  of  God. 

(2.)  Its  leaf  also  shall  not  wither.  It  is  the  leaf  that 
shows  the  character  of  the  tree.     An  elm  does  not  need 


250  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

to  cry  aloud,  "  I  am  an  elm-tree,"  nor  a  maple,  "  I  am 
a  maple-tree,"  for  the  passer-by  can  lift  his  eyes  to 
the  foliage  and  readily  distinguish  between  them.  The 
man  whose  soul  is  full  of  truth  and  righteousness  need 
not  be  saying  perpetually,  "I  am  a  Christian,"  for  his 
walk  and  conversation  declare  it. 

(3.)  He  bringeth  forth  his  fruit  in  due  season.  In  the 
parable  of  the  vine  and  its  branches  a  profound  emphasis 
is  put  upon  fruitfulness.  "  If  ye  abide  in  Christ  and  he  in 
you,  ye  shall  bring  forth  fruit,  much  fruit,  more  fruit,  con- 
tinually." In  other  words,  we  shall  be  ever  doing  good 
as  we  have  opportunity.  No  man  is  guaranteed  that 
happiness  who  has  not  known  the  generous  pleasure  of  a 
kindly  deed.  It  is  related  of  Alexander  the  Great  that 
while  hunting  in  the  forest,  having  ridden  ahead  of  his 
suite,  he  heard  a  groan  and  following  it  came  upon  a  sore 
wounded  man.  He  bent  over  him,  lifted  his  head,  chafed 
his  temples,  and  did  his  utmost  to  restore  him.  When 
one  of  his  courtiers  came  the  Emperor  greeted  him  with 
the  cry,  "  Oh  this  is  the  happiest  day  of  my  life  !  I  have 
saved  a  man  !"  He  had  subdued  kingdoms  ;  the  posses- 
sions of  vast  empires  were  subject  to  his  command  ;  the 
dream  of  universal  conquest  had  been  almost  realized  in 
his  career ;  yet  he  had  never  known  such  pleasure  as  in 
helping  this  destitute  and  distressed  one.  And  indeed 
this  is  the  very  consummation  of  human  joy.  He  who 
follows  most  closely  in  the  footsteps  of  Jesus,  who  went 
about  doing  good,  comes  nearest  to  the  possession  of 
happiness  ;  as  it  is  written,  "  Oh  the  happinesses  of  that 
man  !" 

There  is,  however,  an  obverse  of  this  picture.  The  life 
of  the  righteous  is  here  summed  up  in  one  word/' pros- 
perity."     "  Whatsoever  he  doeth  shall  prosper."     The 


THE   HAPPY    MAN.  25 1 

contrast  is    marked  in    two    words,  "The   ungodly  are 
not  so." 

(1.)  As  to  his  life— it  is  chaff.  The  wind  sweepeth 
over  the  threshing-floor  and  driveth  it  away.  You  can- 
not gather  it  up,  there  is  no  profit  in  it. 

(2.)  As  to  his  death,  it  is  like  a  furrow  in  the  sea— 
"  the  way  of  the  ungodly  shall  perish."  When  the  farmer 
drives  his  plough  through  the  soil,  it  means  that  a  harvest 
will  follow  for  the  hungry  ones  ;  and  when  the  keel  of  the 
vessel  cuts  the  surface  of  the  sea,  there  is  a  furrow  marked 
by  a  stream  of  phosphorescent  light ;  the  light  vanishes, 
the  waves  sweep  over,  and  all  is  gone. 

(3.)  And  after  death  he  shall,  "  not  stand  in  judgment." 
It  was  that  word  "judgment  "  that  made  Felix  tremble  in 
his  audience-room  at  Caesarea.  There  is  a  certain  fearful 
looking  forward  to  judgment  in  every  impenitent  heart. 
The  man  who  lives  aright  sees  heaven's  windows  open 
above  him  and  hears  the  songs  of  the  angelic  host.  But 
the  ungodly  are  not  so. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  most  of  us  have  been  disappointed 
in  our  pursuit  of  happiness.  There  is  however  a  right 
way  and  a  sure  way  to  pursue  it.  Jesus  was  the  busi- 
est of  men.  Whether  in  the  workshop  or  "going  about 
doing  good,"  he  was  always  happy.  And  when  he  died 
on  the  accursed  tree  with  the  darkness  closing  around 
him,  oh  then  his  cup  of  happiness  ran  over ;  for  "  He  saw 
of  the  travail  of  his  soul  and  was  satisfied."  If  we  would 
be  happy  let  us  join  our  fortunes  with  his.  Let  us  sell 
all  and  come  and  follow  him.  At  his  right  hand  are 
pleasures  for  evermore.  The  princes  of  the  olden  time 
were  wont  to  take  their  distinguished  guests  into  their 
wine  cellars  and  open  for  them  the  old  vintages.  Our 
Lord  invites  his  guests  into  the  heavenly  gardens,  "  Come 


252  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

into  my  garden  and  eat  my  pleasant  fruits ;  take  of  the 
pomegranates,  gather  the  clusters,  pluck  the  apples  from 
the  tree  of  life,  dip  down  into  the  waters  of  the  King's 
well."  Ay,  here  are  pleasures  for  evermore.  To  be  one 
with  Jesus  Christ  in  self-denial,  in  labor  of  love  and  of 
hope,  is  to  enter  into  his  joy.  "  These  things  have  I 
spoken  unto  you,"  said  he,  "  that  my  joy  might  be  filled 
in  you  and  that  your  joy  might  be  full." 

We  shall  never  realize  the  full  meaning  of  those  words 
until  we  see  him  standing  at  heaven's  gate  and  saying, 
"  Well  done;  enter  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 


WHAT   MAKES   A   GENTLEMAN?  253 


WHAT  MAKES  A  GENTLEMAN  ? 


The  servant  of  the  Lord  must  be  gentle  unto  all.     2  Tim.  2:24. 

The  word  "gentleman"  is  not  found  in  the  Scrip- 
tures. There  is,  however,  much  about  manhood  there — 
as  in  the  exhortation,  "  Quit  yourselves  like  men  ;  be 
strong,"  and  in  the  call  to  perfect  manhood  in  "  the  meas- 
ure of  the  stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ  " — which  com- 
pletely covers  the  case.  For  there  is  no  true  standard  of 
gentlemanliness  which  has  not  manhood  for  its  basis. 
The  flaccid  young  fellows  who  arrogate  to  themselves  this 
title  upon  no  better  ground  than  the  possession  of  a  patri- 
mony and  an  acquaintance  with  the  latest  fashions  in 
haberdashery  are  not  gentlemen  at  all. 

We  want  a  definition  to  begin  with.  What  is  a  gen- 
tleman ?  In  Johnson's  old  dictionary  the  word  is  said  to 
include  all  above  the  rank  of  yeoman.  Sir  Thomas  Smith 
in  his  "  Commonwealth  "  says,  '  Whosoever  studieth  in 
the  university,  and  professeth  liberal  science,  and  can  live 
without  labor,  and  beareth  the  charge  and  countenance  of 
a  gentleman,  shall  be  called  so."  In  the  "  Merry  Wives  of 
Windsor  "  we  have  an  old-time  silhouette — "  A  gentleman 
born,  master  parson,  who  writes  himself  Armigero ;  in 
any  bill,  warrant,  quittance,  or  obligation,  Armigero." 
Chapman  says : 

"  Measure  not  thy  carriage  by  any  man's  eye, 
Thy  speech  by  no  man's  ear  ; 
But  be  resolute  and  confident, 
And  this  is  the  grace  of  a  right  gentleman." 


254  "THE   MORNING    COMETH. 

Sir  Philip  Sidney,  quite  competent  to  speak  as  being 
himself  the  knight  without  reproach,  puts  all  the  chivalric 
virtues  into  one  brief  sentence,  "  High  thoughts  seated  in 
a  heart  of  courtesie." 

Webster  states  it  almost  as  briefly,  "  A  gentleman  is 
one  of  education  and  good  breeding."  The  gentleman's 
portrait  moreover  is  clearly  drawn  in  Paul's  First  Epistle 
to  Timothy,  as  one  "  blameless,  vigilant,  sober,  and  of 
good  behavior."  In  other  words,  a  gentleman  is  simply 
the  highest  style  of  man.  He  may  wear  a  threadbare 
coat,  may  be  penniless  and  friendless,  but  a  man's  heart 
is  beating  in  his  breast. 

I.  The  distinguishing  feature  of  the  gentleman — when 
viewed  by  himself  alone — is  self-respect.  Milton  said, 
"  The  pious  and  just  honoring  of  ourselves  may  be 
thought  the  radical  moisture  and  fountain-head  from 
whence  every  laudable  and  worthy  enterprise  issues 
forth." 

By  self-respect  we  do  not  mean  vanity.  Vanity  is  a 
totally  different  thing.  Vanity  is  the  characteristic  of  a 
coxcomb.  In  the  moral  province  it  assumes  the  form  of 
self-righteousness,  and  the  outcome  is  a  purblind  Phari- 
see. A  moment  of  introspection  must  take  the  conceit 
out  of  any  honest  man.  For  the  inward  look  discovers 
the  fact  that  he  is  a  sinner.  "  Naaman  the  Syrian  was  a 
mighty  man  of  valor — but  he  was  a  leper;"  that  fact  must 
have  humbled  all  his  pride. 

But  the  fact  that  we  are  sinners  does  not  affect  our 
divine  birth  or  the  glorious  possibilities  before  us.  The 
human  soul  is 

"A  beam  ethereal,  sullied,  and  absorpt, 
Though  sullied  and  dishonored,  still  divine." 

Our  sin  may  be  forgiven,  our  chains  broken,  and  our 


WHAT   MAKES   A   GENTLEMAN?  255 

original  estate  recovered.  Meanwhile,  alas  for  him  who 
forgets  his  high  dignity  as  a  child  of  the  living  God. 

A  rational  self-respect  proceeds  not  only  from  a  due 
consideration  of  the  natural  glory  of  manhood,  but,  more- 
over, from  the  possession  of  certain  manly  graces,  such 
as  truth,  purity,  and  moral  sensitiveness. 

A  gentleman  is  a  man  of  truth.  His  sense  of  honor 
makes  and  keeps  him  so.  Says  Calvert :  "  He  may 
brush  his  own  shoes  or  clothes,  or  mend  or  make  them, 
or  roughen  his  hands  with  a  helve,  or  foul  them  with 
dye-work  or  iron-work ;  but  he  must  not  foul  his  mouth 
with  a  lie."  "Will  you  have  the  word  of  a  king?"  said 
Charles  I.  to  his  commoners.  "  Nay,  more ;  I  give  you 
the  word  of  a  gentleman."  When  one's  nice  regard  for 
truth,  candor,  and  sincerity  goes  out,  forthwith  shame 
comes  in. 

He  must  also  be  a  man  of  purity.  Never  will  he  de- 
scend to  the  vocabulary  of  the  bar-room.  Many  a  young 
man  has  a  breath  fouled  beyond  all  sweetening  of  cloves 
and  cardamoms.  A  low  jest  leaves  behind  it  a  festering 
sore.  Vulgarity  prints  itself  on  the  cheeks  and  in  the 
eyes.  The  sky  is  full  of  pictures,  and  the  fields  are  full 
of  daisies ;  why  should  a  young  man  seek  his  pleasure  in 
mire  and  stagnant  pools  ? 

"  Pick  from  thy  mirth  all  filthiness  : 
'T  is  the  scum  with  which  coarse  wits  abound ; 
The  fine  may  spare  it." 

The  gentleman  will  be  possessed  also  of  moral  sensi- 
tiveness— an  essential  part  of  honor.  Lord  Chesterfield 
was  a  gambler  and  therefore  no  gentleman.  He  wrote  to 
his  son  a  series  of  elaborate  letters  on  courtesy,  yet  that 
son  died  in  the  gutter.  The  trouble  lay  in  a  blunted 
moral  sense.     Beau  Brummel  was  called  the  first  gentle- 


256  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

man  of  Europe  ;  he  required  a  quarter  of  an  hour  for  the 
creasing  down  of  his  cravat.  Yet  one  of  his  precepts 
was  that  we  should  not  annoy  ourselves  with  questions  of 
conscience.  Therefore  the  world  calls  him  no  longer  a 
gentleman,  but  a  knave,  a  dram-drinker,  and  a  rake. 

II.  The  gentleman,  when  viewed  in  relation  to  others, 
is  characterized  by  courtesy.  Courtesy  is  the  finest  of  hu- 
man graces.  It  exacts  a  recognition  of  the  just  claims  of 
all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men.  It  accepts  the  apostle 
Peter's  admonition,  "  Honor  all  men." 

It  rules  out  servility,  for  it  is  founded  in  the  truth  of 
human  equality.  No  gentleman  can  allow  that  God  ever 
created  a  man  with  larger  natural  rights  than  his  own. 
"  The  rank  is  but  the  guinea's  stamp  ;  the  man  's  the 
gowd."  But  there  are  certain  relations  founded  in  the 
divine  ordinance  which  impose  upon  us  the  duty  oi  sub- 
jection without  a  murmur.  Thus  it  is  written,  "  Honor 
thy  father  and  thy  mother,  that  thy  days  may  be  long 
upon  the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee." 
And  again  it  is  written,  "  Honor  the  king,"  that  is,  the 
constituted  authority.  Law  is  a  sacred  word  to  a  gentle- 
man. He  regards  the  powers  that  be  as  entitled  to  rev- 
erence because  they  are  ordained  of  God. 

A  still  severer  test  of  gentility  is  in  one's  bearing  to- 
wards those  whom  adventitious  circumstances  have  placed 
beneath  him.  You  never  know  whether  a  patrician  is  a 
gentleman  until  you  have  observed  his  treatment  of  his 
valet.  The  last  words  of  Wellington  seem  common- 
place at  first  glimpse,  but  in  reality  they  were  quite  worthy 
of  "  the  iron  duke."  A  trusted  servant  pressed  upon  him 
a  cup  of  tea,  saying,  "  Will  you  drink,  my  lord?"  "  Yes, 
if  you  please." 

But  the  acid  test  is  in  one's  treatment  of  the  poor  and 


WHAT   MAKES   A   GENTLEMAN?  257 

suffering.  No  gentleman  ever  laughs  at  a  stammerer  or 
is  surly  to  a  child.  It  was  said  by  Edmund  Burke  a 
hundred  years  ago  that  chivalry  was  dead.  It  is  indeed 
true  that  knights  go  forth  no  more,  with  crosses  on  their 
breasts  and  ladies'  gloves  fluttering  from  their  spear- 
points,  to  avenge  the  wronged  and  vindicate  the  weak. 
"  Their  swords  are  rust, 

Their  good  steeds  dust, 

Their  souls  are  with  their  God,  we  trust." 

But  the  spirit  of  true  chivalry  survives  and  is  constantly 
showing  itself  in  valorous  and  magnanimous  deeds.  A 
few  years  ago  the  ship  "  Birkenhead  "  struck  upon  a  hidden 
rock  and,  the  sea  pouring  rapidly  in,  her  crew  and  pas- 
sengers knew  that  she  must  go  down.  On  board  were 
the  Ninety-first  Highlanders  under  command  of  Captain 
Wright.  The  order  was  given  to  place  the  women  and 
children  in  the  boats.  This  being  done,  the  skipper  bade 
the  crew  shift  for  themselves,  and  they  struck  out  for  the 
already  overladen  boats.  Captain  Wright  ordered  the 
bugle  call ;  whereat  his  men  mustered  on  the  upper  deck 
as  if  on  dress  parade.  The  ship  reeled  and  staggered  before 
her  final  plunge.  A  last  order  was  given ;  the  Highlanders 
closed  ranks,  fired  a  feu  dejoie,  and  went  down.  Oh  no ! 
while  such  things  are  done  upon  the  earth  it  is  not  fair 
to  say  that  chivalry  is  dead.  The  Golden  Rule  is  not  a 
dead  letter.  The  mind  that  was  in  Christ  Jesus  is,  in  less- 
er degree,  in  multitudes  of  men. 

III.  The  invoice  of  the  graces  of  gentlemanliness  is 
not  complete  until  we  have  considered  man  in  respect  to 
God.  We  may  not  leave  God  out  of  the  reckoning.  In 
this  relation  the  characteristic  of  a  gentleman  is  devo- 
tion. At  this  point  there  are  three  considerations  which 
press  themselves  upon  us. 
17 


258  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

Firsty  Providence.  In  God  we  live  and  move  and 
have  our  being.  We  slept  in  his  arms  last  night ;  he  has 
cared  for  us  all  through  the  day.  In  our  relations  with 
our  fellow-men  we  count  it  a  matter  of  common  courtesy 
to  recognize  a  favor  with  thanks.  Shall  we  withhold  from 
God  the  meed  of  courtesy  which  we  concede  to  our  fellow- 
men  ?  We  breathe  his  air  ;  we  eat  his  food  ;  we  are  the 
recipients  of  his  favor  continually.  Is  it  too  much  to 
kneel  down  and  say  "  I  thank  thee "  ?  Is  there  one 
among  us  who  has  not  prayed  or  otherwise  confessed  his 
obligations  to  the  Giver  of  all  good  this  day  ?  To  such 
a  one  I  say  in  all  candor,  "  Sir,  by  any  test  of  gentility 
that  obtains  in  common  life,  you  are  no  gentleman." 

Second,  Grace.  If  it  be  true  that  God  gave  his  only- 
begotten  and  well-beloved  Son  to  die  for  our  salvation ; 
if  it  be  true  that  his  blood  is  the  ransom  paid  for  our 
redemption,  then  it  follows  that  we  are  placed  under  a 
mighty  obligation  ;  and  as  honorable  men  we  should  give 
ourselves  no  rest  until  we  have  discharged  it.  It  is  writ- 
ten "  Ye  are  not  your  own ;  ye  are  bought  with  a  price," 
not  silver  and  gold,  but  the  precious  blood  of  Jesus,  as  of 
a  lamb  without  blemish  and  without  spot.  The  man  who 
rejects  Christ  can  give  a  reason  for  repudiating  this  debt ; 
but  the  man  who  believes  the  old,  old  story  and  still 
withholds  his  service  from  Christ  is  ipso  facto  a  defaulter. 
If  there  is  one  such  in  this  presence,  1  say  to  him  in  all 
frankness  that  until  he  does  his  utmost  to  meet  the  ob- 
ligation which  he  acknowledges,  he  is  no  gentleman. 
For  true  gentlemen  are  wont  to  pay  their  honest  debts. 

Third,  the  wonderful  life.  Christ  was  in  the  world  not 
only  to  redeem  it,  but  to  set  forth  in  his  own  character 
and  in  his  own  walk  and  conversation  the  pattern  of  a 
holy  life.     In  him  we  behold  the  highest  type  of  man. 


WHAT   MAKES   A   GENTLEMAN?  259 

"The  best  of  men  that  e'er  wore  earth  about  him 
Was  a  sufferer,  a  calm,  meek,  patient,  loving  spirit, 
The  first  true  Gentleman  that  ever  lived." 

To  be  like  Jesus  is  to  attain  to  the  full  stature  of 
man.     The  imitation  of  Christ  is  therefore  the  most  im- 
portant business  of  life. 

When  Thomas  Hughes,  the  author  of  "  Tom  Brown 
at  Oxford,"  would  select  a  theme  wherein  to  set  forth  the 
chivalric  graces,  he  chose  "  The  Manliness  of  Christ." 
This  Christ  was  the  Perfect  One — so  gentle  towards  weak- 
ness, so  firm  in  his  loyalty  to  truth  and  righteousness,  so 
merciless  towards  all  shams,  so  charitable  in  his  treat- 
ment of  the  erring,  so  brave  in  defending  the  friendless, 
so  forgiving  of  injury,  so  pure  in  word  and  deed,  so  heroic 
in  death ! 

Wherefore,  I  pray  you,  in  his  name,  whatsoever  things 
are  true,  whatsoever  things  are  honest,  whatsoever  things 
are  just,  whatsoever  things  are  pure,  whatsoever  things 
are  lovely,  whatsoever  things  are  of  good  report,  if  there 
be  any  virtue  and  if  there  be  any  praise,  think  on  these 
things.  For  these  are  things  that  make  for  manhood  be- 
cause they  bring  a  man  into  Godlikeness. 

"  Come  wealth  or  want,  come  good  or  ill, 
Let  old  and  young  accept  their  part 
And  bow  before  the  heavenly  will, 
And  bear  it  with  an  honest  heart. 

"Who  misses  or  who  wins  the  prize ? 
Go,  lose  or  conquer,  as  you  can ; 
But  if  you  fail  or  if  you  rise, 
Be  each,  pray  God,  a  gentleman." 


260  "THE   MORNING   COMETH.' 


DARKNESS  AT  HIGH  NOON. 


"And  when  the  sixth  hour  was  come,  there  was  darkness  over  the 
whole  land  until  the  ninth  hour."     Mark  15:33. 

The  battle  of  Waterloo,  fought  on  the  eighteenth  of 
June,  1815,  is  possibly  the  turning-point  of  human  history; 
it  determined  the  adjustment  of  the  nations  and  in  some 
measure  the  destinies  of  the  race.  Victor  Hugo  calls  it 
the  "  world's  earthquake."  But  on  April  7,  A.  D.  30,  a 
greater  battle  than  Waterloo  was  fought,  in  which  in- 
finitely larger  issues  were  involved  and  on  which  de- 
pended the  eternal  future  of  all  the  children  of  men. 
On  that  day  the  Prince  of  Darkness,  with  all  the  legions 
of  the  infernal  world,  met  Emmanuel  who  had  come 
forth  as  the  sole  champion  of  our  ruined  race.  There 
were  legions  of  angels  and  archangels  who  were  eager 
to  participate,  but  it  was  ordained  that  Jesus  should 
tread  the  wine-press  alone.  The  gage  of  the  conflict 
was  the  dominion  of  this  world.  For  four  thousand  years 
Satan,  as  the  prince  of  this  world,  had  held  the  con- 
trolling influence.  Here,  on  Calvary,  the  issue  was  joined, 
and  for  six  awful  hours  truth  and  error,  sin  and  right- 
eousness, life  and  death,  confronted  each  other  in  mortal 
conflict. 

At  noon  on  that  memorable  day,  in  the  very  thick  of 
the  conflict,  the  strange  thing  happened  which  is  now  to 
engage  our  thought.  The  sun  was  just  crossing  the 
meridian.     It  had   been  glowing  like  fire  on  the  golden 


DARKNESS   AT   HIGH   NOON.  261 

dome  of  the  temple  yonder,  and  shining  on  the  soldiers' 
shields  and  burnished  spear-points.  Pitilessly  it  blazed 
upon  the  agonizing  figure  on  the  cross.  Then,  on  a  sud- 
den, for  no  perceptible  reason,  it  seemed  as  if  a  thin  veil 
were  drawn  before  it.  The  air  grew  slowly  sombre  and 
lurid ;  the  wind  arose  and  made  a  plaintive  moaning 
across  the  hills.  Over  on  the  slopes  of  Olivet  the  cattle 
laid  themselves  down  as  if  the  night  were  coming  on.  The 
birds  fluttered  to  their  nests.  Soon  the  shadows  closed 
in  until  it  was  no  longer  possible  to  read  the  inscriptions 
on  the  phylacteries  of  the  rabbis  who  stood  by.  The  last 
beam  of  light  vanished,  until  one  could  not  see  the  out- 
line of  the  cross  against  the  sky.  Then  deep  silence  set- 
tled down,  broken  only  by  the  half-stifled  sobbing  of  the 
women,  the  muttered  oaths  of  the  guards  as  they  jostled 
each  other  in  the  dark,  and  the  dropping  of  blood.  Deep 
midnight  darkness  at  high  noon !  What  was  the  mean- 
ing of  it  ? 

I.  Was  it  an  eclipse?  All  attempts  to  eliminate  the 
supernatural  from  this  occurrence  are  in  vain.  We  gain 
nothing  by  explaining  away  miracles,  for  indeed  every 
breath  we  draw  has  a  marvel  in  it.  We  live  in  the  midst 
of  the  supernatural,  and  while  we  are  putting  one  miracle 
out  at  the  door,  a  thousand  come  swarming  in  at  the  win- 
dows. So,  in  the  long  run,  we  should  gain  nothing  by 
assuming  an  eclipse  here.  But  this  hypothesis  is  out  of 
the  question :  the  darkness  lasted  too  long,  it  extended 
too  far.  It  was  felt  away  in  Egypt  where  Dionysius  cried 
out  that  "  one  of  the  gods  must  be  agonizing."  And  fur- 
ther, the  conclusive  answer  to  this  vain  hypothesis  is  in 
the  fact  that  the  Passover  occurred  at  the  time  of  the  full 
moon.  The  miracle  therefore  stays ;  we  cannot  get  rid  of 
it. 


262  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

II.  But  shall  we  say  that  this  was  an  expression  of 
the  sympathy  of  nature  for  her  dying  Lord  ?  And  why 
not?  When  Lincoln  was  assassinated  we  draped  our 
pulpits  in  black  and  hung  the  tokens  of  sympathy  across 
our  doorways.  The  nation,  of  whose  government  he  was 
chief  magistrate,  went  into  mourning  for  his  untimely 
taking  off. 

Is  not  this  world  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  ?  Did  not 
he  create  it  ?  There  was  not  a  bird  or  beast  or  creeping 
thing  that  was  not  under  his  sway.  And  trees  and  flow- 
ers— he  made  them  all.  Out  of  the  hollow  of  his  hand  he 
poured  the  waters  that  filled  the  mighty  deep.  He  set 
up  the  pillars  of  the  universe.  He  reached  out  into  space 
and  took  hold  of  nothing,  like  a  magician,  and  when  he 
withdrew  his  hand  there  was  a  world  in  it.  One  by  one 
he  spun  the  suns  and  stars  out  upon  their  orbits.  The 
universe  was  his. 

And  now  the  King  of  this  great  kingdom  was  dying. 
Why  should  it  not  assume  the  trappings  of  woe  ? 

"  Well  might  the  sun  in  darkness  hide, 
And  shut  his  glories  in, 
When  God,  the  mighty  Maker,  died 
For  man,  the  creature's,  sin." 

III.  Or  was  this  an  expression  of  divine  indigna- 
tion ?  the  gathering  frown  on  Jehovah's  face  ?  With 
what,  then,  was  he  angry  ?  There  is  only  one  thing  in  the 
universe  that  can  provoke  the  divine  wrath,  and  that  is 
sin.  And  here,  on  Calvary,  was  the  consummation  of 
four  thousand  years  and  more  of  persistent  sin.  God 
created  our  parents  and  blessed  them  and  placed  them  in 
a  garden  where  grew  such  sweet  and  pleasant  flowers  as 
nowhere  else  were  seen ;  but  they  defied  his  authority  and 


DARKNESS  AT   HIGH   NOON.  263 

broke  his  holy  will,  and  then  he  drove  them  out  and  set 
the  flaming  sword  of  his  anger  at  the  garden-gate.  As 
they  multiplied  and  replenished  the  earth,  he  still  envi- 
roned them  with  his  providence  and  blessed  them  with 
his  grace.  He  bore  with  their  transgressions  and  sent 
angel  visitants  to  urge  them  to  a  holy  life. 

Then  looking  down  from  heaven  to  see  if  there  were 
any  that  wrought  righteousness,  He  was  moved  to  say 
"  There  is  none  that  doeth  good,  no,  not  one."  And  again 
his  anger  went  forth  against  them  ;  he  opened  the  windows 
of  heaven,  unstopped  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep,  and 
swept  them  all  away.  Then  re-peopling  the  earth  he 
renewed  his  goodness  to  the  children  of  men.  But 
all  in  vain,  for  they  built  altars  to  Baal  and  Astarte  and 
gave  themselves  up  to  all  manner  of  abominations,  and  so 
for  centuries,  until  at  last  he  sent  his  only-begotten  Son  to 
remonstrate  with  them.  Then  sin  reached  its  ultimate ;  it 
thrust  its  dagger  to  the  heart  of  God's  well-beloved  Son. 
Was  it  not  meet  that  the  divine  face  should  gather  into  a 
frown  that  day  ? 

Yet  is  not  God  angry  with  abstract  sin ;  there  is  in- 
deed no  such  thing  as  abstract  sin.  He  was  and  is  angry 
with  sin  in  the  concrete,  as  it  dwells  in  you  and  in  me. 
And  there  is  a  sense  in  which  all  sin  has  in  it  the  nature 
of  crucifixion.  It  is  enmity  against  God.  It  rejects  his 
overtures  of  mercy  and  lifts  its  hand  against  his  well-be- 
loved Son.  Oh  if  we  could  but  behold  it  with  the  divine 
eyes  how  should  we  hate  and  abhor  it ! 

IV.  Or  shall  we  regard  this  darkness  as  setting 
forth  the  triumph  of  the  wicked  one?  Here  was  the  cul- 
mination of  thirty  years  of  war,  for  during  all  the  earthly 
life  and  ministry  of  Jesus,  the  Prince  of  Darkness  had  set 
up  obstacles  and  striven  to  thwart  his  divine  purposes  in 


264  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

every  way.  He  had  tempted  him,  had  embittered  the 
hearts  of  his  friends  and  brethren,  had  set  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees  to  spy  upon  him,  and  laid  all  manner  of  pitfalls 
in  his  path.  And  all  the  while  Jesus  was  going  about 
doing  good,  preaching  the  glorious  truth  of  the  divine 
mercy,  working  miracles  of  healing,  and  setting  forth  in 
his  walk  and  conversation  the  excellences  of  the  holy  life. 
And  this  was  the  end  of  it ! 

It  must  have  been  an  hour  of  rejoicing  in  the  infernal 
regions  when  the  dark-winged  messenger  brought  the 
tidings,  "  They  have  seized  upon  the  Christ,  have  tried 
and  condemned,  have  mocked  and  derided  him  ;  they 
have  led  him  out  to  Calvary,  have  nailed  him  to  the  ac- 
cursed tree  and  lo  !  he  dies  in  anguish."  What  shouts  of 
triumph  then!  "The  kingdom  shall  still  abide  with  us; 
fling  out  the  banners  of  the  night !" 

But  all  their  rejoicing  was  premature  and  momentary. 
On  the  cross,  above  the  head  of  the  dying  Saviour,  were 
four  cabalistic  letters,  I.  N.  R.  I.,  Jesus  Nazarenus,  Rex 
JudcEontm.  He  is  the  King  of  the  whole  Israel  of  God. 
Had  he  not  said,  "  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  will  draw  all  men 
unto  me"  ?  And  presently  when  he  comes  forth  out  of 
the  darkness  he  will  have  at  his  girdle  the  keys  of  Death 
and  Hell,  and  upon  his  vesture  and  thigh  will  be  seen  a 
name  written,  King  of  Kings  and  Lord  of  Lords ;  and 
from  that  moment  he  will  go  forth  conquering  and  to 
conquer  until  the  restitution  of  all  things. 

"All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name, 
Let  angels  prostrate  fall  ; 
Bring  forth  the  royal  diadem, 
And  crown  him  Lord  of  all !" 

V.  But  while  there  is  some  measure  of  truth  in  all 
these  suggestions,  we  have  yet  to  mark  the  full  signifi- 


DARKNESS  AT   HIGH   NOON.  265 

cance  of  this  darkness  at  noon.  It  sets  forth  the  exercise 
of  the  priestly  function  of  Jesus  for  the  deliverance  of  his 
people  from  their  sin. 

In  the  calendar  of  Israel  there  was  one  day  which  by 
reason  of  its  importance  was  called  the  Great  Day.  It  was 
the  day  on  which  the  high-priest  made  atonement  for  his 
people.  On  that  day  was  heard  no  sound  of  hammer  or 
axe,  no  food  could  be  prepared  or  eaten,  no  loud  word 
might  be  spoken.  The  high-priest,  arrayed  in  fine  linen, 
clean  and  white,  his  hands  filled  with  the  blood  of  the 
sacrifice,  in  the  presence  of  all  the  people  who  gazed  with 
deepest  interest,  lifted  the  outer  veil  and  passed  into  the 
tabernacle.  No  eye  must  gaze  upon  the  mysteries  there. 
He  drew  aside  the  curtain  of  the  Holiest  of  All  and  bowed 
before  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  sprinkling  its  golden  cover, 
the  Mercy-seat,  with  the  sacrificial  blood.  He  made  his 
prayer  for  the  people  and  presently  came  forth  again,  and 
in  token  of  the  success  of  his  mediatorial  errand  laid  his 
hand  upon  the  head  of  the  scapegoat  and  sent  it  forth  to 
Azazel,  out  into  the  wilderness,  out  into  forgetfulness, 
laden  with  the  people's  sin. 

So  on  this  memorable  day  on  Calvary  our  High-Priest 
passed  into  the  Holiest  of  All,  and  darkness  fell  like  a  veil 
behind  him.  No  human  eye  must  gaze  upon  him  while 
with  bleeding  hands  he  sprinkles  the  Mercy-seat  for  us. 
But  presently  when  the  darkness  lifts,  the  fact  will  be  dis- 
closed that  the  redemptive  work  of  Jesus  has  been  finished 
and  there  is  therefore  now  no  condemnation  to  them  which 
are  in  him. 

Two  helpful  thoughts  let  us  carry  with  us ;  one  as  to 
the  sinner's  doom.  It  is  said  of  Luther  that,  in  reading 
of  this  strange  darkness,  he  sat  silent  for  a  long  while  and 
then  cried  out,  "  The  Son  of   God  was  God-forsaken ! 


266  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

Who  can  understand  it?"  We  cannot,  indeed,  under- 
stand it  unless  we  believe  that  Jesus,  who  knew  no  sin,  was 
made  sin  for  us ;  that  he  stood  as  our  representative  be- 
fore the  offended  law ;  that  he  was  made  a  curse  for  us 
and  the  world's  sin  was  laid  upon  him.  In  the  great  con- 
fession of  the  universal  church  we  say,  "  I  believe  that  he 
descended  into  hell."  If  there  was  ever  a  moment  of 
which  we  can  truly  say  that,  it  was  when  he  passed  into 
the  deep  darkness  and  when  that  awful  cry  pierced  the 
night,  "  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?" 
It  was  the  doom  of  all  sinners  that  he  was  bearing  then. 
This  was  hell,  the  undying  worm,  the  unquenchable  fire ; 
he  bore  it  for  us. 

The  other  thought  is  of  the  sinner's  deliverance.  Often 
had  the  Jews  demanded,  "  Show  us  a  sign."  At  last,  in 
this  stupendous  darkness,  the  sign  was  given.  By  this 
and  by  the  returning  of  the  light  when  Jesus  had  finished 
his  work,  let  us  believe  that  he  was  veritably  the  Son  of 
God  and  able  to  save  unto  the  uttermost  all  who  will 
come  unto  God  by  him.  It  is  because  he  pressed  to  his 
lips  the  purple  cup  of  death  that  we  shall  drink  of  the 
river  of  life  that  floweth  out  from  the  throne  of  God.  It 
is  because  he  was  bruised  for  our  offences  that  we,  believ- 
ing in  him,  shall  go  scot  free  for  ever ;  for  by  his  stripes 
we  are  healed — blessed  be  his  name  ! 

At  the  ninth  hour  the  light  returned,  the  execution 
was  over,  the  people  went  down  to  their  homes  in  Jerusa- 
lem, turning  ever  and  anon  to  mark  the  gloomy  outline 
of  the  cross  and  its  burden  against  the  heavens,  say- 
ing one  to  another,  "  The  Nazarene  is  dead  !"  But  oh, 
how  little  they  knew  what  that  meant — the  Nazarene  is 
dead !  Through  him  life  and  immortality  are  brought  to 
light.     He  conquered  death. 


DARKNESS  AT  HIGH   NOON.  267 

"  O  Death,  where  is  thy  victory? 
O  Grave,  where  is  thy  sting?" 

"  Thanks  be  to  God,  which  giveth  us  the  victory  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

We  also  come  down  from  the  hill  Calvary  to  meet  at 
this  ninth  hour,  in  the  returning  light,  our  common  tasks, 
but  with  new  hope.  Let  us  go  on  with  renewed  courage, 
let  us  love  him  more,  let  us  serve  him  better,  let  us  walk 
with  him  to  the  crucifixion  and  triumph  in  the  grace  of 
his  resurrection,  until  the  day  break,  and  the  shadows 
flee  away,  and  we  stand  in  the  light  of  his  countenance 
for  ever ! 


268  "THE   MORNING    COMETH. 


WHAT  CHRISTIANITY  HAS  DONE  FOR 
THE  WORKWOMAN. 


"  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  which  have  brought  thee  out  of  the  land 
of  Egypt,  out  of  the  house  of  bondage."     Exod.  20:2. 

The  noblest  of  the  Roman  epics  begins  with  the 
words,  "  Arma  virumque  cano  ;"  on  which  Thomas  Car- 
lyle  remarks,  "  The  epic  of  our  times  is  not  '  Arms  and  the 
man  '  but  '  Tools  and  the  man  I  sing.'  "  The  great  prob- 
lems are  not  being  wrought  out  on  the  battlefield,  but  in 
the  great  centres  of  industry.  The  best  men  of  to-day  are 
the  producers,  such  as  by  braincraft  or  handicraft  add  to 
the  material  possessions  of  the  children  of  men. 

At  the  time  when  our  Lord  Jesus  came  into  the  world 
there  were  three  classes  of  people  : 

First,  the  Patricians,  who  lived  in  luxurious  ease. 
Pliny  says  that  he  saw  Lollia  Paulina  arrayed  for  a  feast 
in  finery  that  cost  forty  million  sesterces  or  something 
more  than  two  millions  of  our  money.  Sabina,  the  wife 
of  Nero,  took  with  her  when  journeying  five  hundred  she- 
asses  to  furnish  milk  for  her  cosmetic  baths.  And  these 
asses  wore  gold  and  silver  shoes.  It  was  not  counted  an 
extraordinary  thing  to  spend  the  revenues  of  an  entire 
province  on  a  banquet  in  those  days.  The  tables  were 
furnished  with  the  brains  of  peacocks  and  the  tongues  of 
nightingales  and  similar  delicacies.  Thus  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  Patricians  rolled  in  wealth.  But  they  were  nu- 
merically an   insignificant  part  of  the   population,  for  in 


CHRISTIANITY  AND   THE  WORKINGMAN.       269 

Rome  there  were  only  two  thousand  knights  and  senators 
in  all. 

Second,  the  Slaves.  And  these  were  the  most  abject 
class.  They  lived  in  ergastula,  or  slave  stables,  where 
they  were  oftentimes  chained  in  their  stalls.  In  old  age 
they  were  exposed  on  an  island  in  the  Tiber.  They  had 
no  rights  which  their  superiors  were  bound  to  respect. 
Of  these  les  misera&les  there  were  in  the  empire  sixty 
millions. 

Third,  the  Plebs  Urbana,  an  idle,  shifdess  class.  They 
formed  the  bulk  of  Roman  citizenship — God  save  the 
mark !  To  their  minds  it  was  not  respectable  to  work ; 
that  was  the  business  of  the  slaves.  The  cry  of  the  Plebs 
was  ever  "  Pa?iem  et  circe?ises,"  bread  and  games  !  And 
there  were  three  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  of  these 
reputable  citizens  who  received  congiaria,  or  public  corn 
rations.  They  spent  their  forenoons  lounging  about  the 
forum  and  their  afternoons  at  the  amphitheatre.  There 
were  three  hundred  and  eighty-five  thousand  seats  in  the 
circus.  Here  the  gladiatorial  contests  took  place,  the 
pompa  diaboli.  The  Emperor  Trajan  had  eleven  thousand 
wild  beasts  brought  into  the  arena  at  one  festival.  While 
the  Plebs  sat  witnessing  these  games,  their  patrons  from 
above  threw  figs  and  fruits  to  them.  At  the  conclusion  of 
the  games  they  went  to  their  wretched  homes,  which,  in 
respect  to  comfort,  were  incomparably  beneath  the  tene- 
ment houses  of  these  days.  They  were  called  insula,  and 
there  were  forty-four  thousand  of  them  in  the  Imperial 
City.  As  a  rule  a  Plebeian  wore  only  a  tunic,  for  he  had 
but  a  single  garment  to  his  name ;  if  fortunately  he  pos- 
sessed a  toga,  he  reserved  it  to  be  buried  in. 

Where  then  was  the  thrifty  middle  class,  the  class  that 
constitutes  the  strength  of  our  modern  civilization  ?  There 


2/0  "THE   MORNING   COMETH. 

was  none.  All  labor  was  remanded  to  the  slaves.  The 
Patricians  and  Plebeians  lived  alike  in  gentlemanly  leisure. 

Then  came  the  Carpenter  of  Nazareth.  He  was  dis- 
tinctly a  man  of  the  people.  We  are  accustomed  to  think 
of  him  as  crowned  with  a  halo  of  light.  But  there  was  no 
halo  or  other  outward  symbol  to  distinguish  him  from  the 
great  multitude  of  common  men.  He  had  something 
better.  Deep  down  in  his  heart  was  the  divine  purpose  to 
uplift  the  fallen  and  vindicate  the  rights  of  the  oppressed. 
His  great  heart  was  in  sympathy  with  the  masses.  He 
came  as  a  knight-errant  to  exalt  the  lowly  ones. 

It  is  only  nineteen  hundred  years  since  then ;  the 
ripening  of  that  glorious  purpose  has  been  slow  but  sure. 
The  mills  of  God  grind  slowly,  but  they  grind  exceeding 
small.  We  look  back  now  over  the  centuries  and  are 
able  to  estimate  what  Christ  has  done  for  the  multitudes. 
It  will  be  of  interest  to  note  what  the  influence  of  this  Naz- 
arene  Carpenter  and  the  religion  which  he  instituted  has 
been  upon  the  welfare  of  the  workingman. 

I.  To  begin  with,  He  has  levelled  up  the  race.  The 
tendency  of  all  other  forces  which  have  had  to  do  with 
the  labor  problem  and  the  great  industrial  questions  of 
all  the  ages  has  been  to  level  dQwn.  The  cry  is,  "  Down 
with  the  aristocracy,  down  with  wealth  and  noble  birth 
and  culture!"  But  the  gospel  shibboleth  is,  "Up  with 
the  people !"  It  was  the  purpose  of  Christ  to  vindicate 
the  importance  of  man  as  man.  Adventitious  conditions 
were  nothing  to  him.  He  loved  man  as  made  in  the  like- 
ness of  God.  And  this  thought  of  our  universal  birthright, 
be  it  observed,  lies  at  the  basis  of  the  true  philosophy  of 
human  rights.  The  Carpenter  of  Nazareth  taught  the 
solidarity  of  the  race  ;  one  man  is  as  good  as  another,  be- 
cause there  is  one  God  and  Father  of  all.        I  perceive," 


CHRISTIANITY  AND   THE   WORKINGMAN.      2J\ 

said  Peter,  "  that  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons."     Fol- 
low up  that   declaration  and  you  come  to  Runnymede. 
In  Magna  Charta,  that  great  instrument  of  human  rights 
which  was  drawn  up  in  the  meadow  at  Runnymede,  there 
is  no  mention  of  the  people  and  no  reference  to  labor  save 
in  the  stipulation  that  a  man  might  not  be  deprived  of  the 
implements  of  his  trade.     But  if  we  follow  up  that  mani- 
festo still  further,  we  shall  come  within  sound  of  the  bell  in 
Independence  Hall  which  rang  out  the  proclamation  that 
all  men  are  created  free  and  equal  and  with  certain  inalien- 
able rights.  Thus  the  philosophy  of  the  Galilean  Carpenter 
has  been  slowly  but  surely  making  its  way  among  the  na- 
tions.    And  man  is  coming  to  be  more  and  more  respected 
by  reason  of  his  manhood,  his  birthright  as  a  child  of  God. 
II.    The  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  has  dignified  labor. 
And  what  other  religion  has  done  this  ?     Plato,  Cicero, 
and  Lycurgus  all  held  that  it  was  a  disgrace  to  touch  the 
implements  of  common  toil.     It  is  a  matter  of  immense 
import  that  Jesus  himself  was  a  workingman.     It  is  worth 
asking  whether  we  should  not  have  made  better  progress 
in  the  propaganda  of  his  gospel  had  we  long  ago  aban- 
doned the  luminous  halo,  and  crowned  him  simply  with 
the   square   cap  of  a  carpenter.      He  was  indeed   very 
God  of  very  God;  but,  tabernacled  in  flesh,  he  was  also 
very  man  of  very  man.      And  it  is  Jesus  the  carpenter 
who  must  win  the  masses.     The  twelve  whom  he  gath- 
ered about  him  at  the  beginning  of  his  ministry  were  all 
men  of  braincraft  or  handicraft.     There  was  not  among 
them  a  single  gentleman  of  leisure.   So  in  the  early  church 
the  great  multitude  of  believers  were  from  among  the 
working  people.     On  the  one  hand  not  many  mighty,  not 
many  noble,  were  called ;  and  on  the  other,  there  was  lit- 
tle in  the  new  religion  to  attract  the  indolent,  for  this  was 


272  "THE   MORNING   COMETH. 

one  of  the  early  Christian  precepts,  "If  any  will  not  work, 
neither  let  him  eat."  The  church  ever  since  has  been  re- 
cruited from  the  same  source.  Luther  was  a  miner's  son  ; 
Zwingli  was  a  shepherd  lad ;  Cardinal  Wolsey  was  the 
son  of  a  butcher ;  John  Bunyan  was  a  tinker;  William 
Carey  a  shoemaker;  Jeremy  Taylor  a  barber;  Dr.  Liv- 
ingstone a  weaver.  Thus  wherever  the  genius  of  Christ's 
gospel  has  prevailed,  a  special  honor  has  been  put  upon 
the  children  of  toil. 

III.  The  religion  of  Christ  has  everywhere  bettered  the 
material  condition  of  the  working  classes.  The  question 
of  wages  lies  at  the  centre  of  the  reconciliation  of  capital 
and  labor.  Our  Lord  said,  "  The  laborer  is  worthy  of  his 
hire." 

In  fact  the  very  thought  of  wages  is  peculiar  to  na- 
tions which  have  felt  the  influence  of  the  Christian 
religion.  No  wages  were  paid  in  ancient  Rome ;  the 
working  class  lived  on  charity.  The  despicable  custom 
of  giving  a  douceur  to  the  waiters  in  our  restaurants  is  a 
remnant  of  the  ancient  pagan  world.  The  Pyramids  were 
built  by  laborers  who  lived  on  onions  and  lentils  doled 
out  to  them  by  their  overseers.  A  quid  pro  quo,  an  hon- 
est wage  for  an  honest  day's  work,  was  as  yet  undreamed 
of.  But  as  time  passed  and  the  gospel  began  to  take  hold 
upon  the  universal  heart  and  conscience,  it  was  felt  that 
the  producer  was  worthy  of  something  beyond  a  mere 
livelihood.  The  improvement  in  the  condition  of  the 
toiling  class  was  gradual  but  sure.  Age-buttressed  evils 
are  not  levelled  in  a  day.  As  late  as  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury a  carpenter  in  England  received  but  threepence  per 
day.  In  the  fourteenth  century  the  hours  of  labor  were 
from  five  in  the  morning  until  seven-thirty  in  the  evening, 
and  a   workman   was   not  permitted  to   change  masters 


CHRISTIANITY   AND   THE  WORKINGMAN.      273 

without  a  six  months'  warning.  In  the  time  of  Charles  II. 
a  weaver  received  sixpence  for  a  day's  work.  But  there 
is  evidence  of  progress  in  the  growing  discontent.  Ma- 
caulay  speaks  of  a  ballad  circulated  at  that  time  in  which 
the  weavers  deplore  their  sixpence  and  plead  for  a  shilling 
a  day.  There  has  been  magnificent  progress  since  then. 
John  Stuart  Mill  says  that  the  laboring  classes  of  our 
times  receive  more  pay  per  annum  than  professional  men, 
and  there  is  no  more  self-respecting  class  than  the  hand- 
workers. 

''The  heart  of  the  toiler  has  throbbings 
That  stir  not  the  bosoms  of  kings." 

And  this  is  the  immediate  result  of  Christian  influence. 
Let  the  doubter  consult  a  map  of  the  world.  Let  him 
observe  how  China  is  a  land  of  mandarins  and  coolies ; 
how  Egypt  is  a  land  of  rich  men  and  beggars  ;  how  Tur- 
key is  a  land  of  pashas  and  slaves.  In  what  nation  out- 
side of  Christendom  is  labor  regarded  with  honor  or  the 
laborer  permitted  to  be  a  self-respecting  man  ?  If,  on  the 
other  hand,  we  are  reminded  of  the  discontent  which  pre- 
vails among  laboring  people  in  Christian  lands,  of  the 
strikes  and  processions  of  strikers  marching  through  our 
streets  with  banners  bearing  the  legends  of  their  discon- 
tent, let  it  be  remembered  that  these  very  expressions  of 
desire  to  improve  their  condition  are  an  evidence  of  the 
influence  of  the  gospel.  Who  ever  heard  of  a  procession 
of  discontented  toilers  marching  through  the  streets  of  the 
Oriental  cities  ?  The  right  of  complaint  is  one  of  the 
rights  which  Christianity  has  vindicated  among  men. 

IV.  The  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  makes  it  possible  for 
the  lower  classes  to  rise.  There  is  an  old  proverb,  Ne 
sutor  7iltra  crepidam,  Let  the  shoemaker  stick  to  his  last. 
But  under  the  influence  of  the  Nazarene  Carpenter  the 

IcS 


274  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

shoemaker  is  permitted  to  rise  above  his  last.  In  pagan 
nations  the  various  classes  are  required  to  keep  their 
place.  The  Hindoos  say  that  when  Brahm  created  the 
race  he  made  Brahmans  from  his  head,  the  Kshatrya  or 
soldiers  from  his  breast,  the  Vaisya  or  merchant  class 
from  his  loins,  and  the  Sudras  or  laborers  from  his  feet. 
And  within  these  lines  there  are  hundreds  of  divisional 
lines  which  have  remained  from  time  immemorial,  which 
it  is  quite  impossible  to  cross.  This  is  so  far  true  that  the 
water-carriers  and  scavengers  of  Bombay  are  the  children 
of  those  who  were  scavengers  and  water-carriers  many 
hundreds  of  years  ago.  But  in  Christian  countries  a 
golden  ladder  is  placed  before  the  feet  of  every  ambitious 
man  and  he  is  urged  to  mount  it. 

Men  often  lament  the  multiplication  of  millionaires  in 
these  days.  It  is  indeed  a  most  significant  fact.  A  re- 
cent tabulated  estimate  shows  that  there  are  four  thousand 
and  forty  millionaires  in  the  United  States,  and  of  these 
one  thousand  and  three  reside  in  the  city  of  New  York. 
But  is  this  cause  of  lamentation  ?  No,  rather  shall  we  not 
rejoice  in  it  ?  For  who  are  these  men  who  have  accumu- 
lated such  wealth  ?  Nearly  all  of  them  have  come  up  from 
the  ranks — they  were  poor  men  or  the  children  of  poor 
men.  The  thing  which  has  been  done,  may  be  done  again. 
It  is  a  glorious  fact  that  no  man,  however  humble,  need 
despair  of  prosperity  if  he  be  thrifty  and  industrious. 
But  let  it  be  observed  that  this  possibility  is  found  only 
in  countries  under  the  benign  influence  of  the  religion  of 
Christ. 

What  shall  we  then  say  to  these  things  ?  The  religion 
which  has  accomplished  so  much  can  be  trusted  to  ac- 
complish more.  The  rights  of  the  toilers  are  safe  in  the 
hands  of  the  Nazarene  Carpenter.     If  Christianity  cannot 


CHRISTIANITY  AND   THE   WORKINGMAN.      275 

bring  about  the  adjustment  of  the  relations  between  em- 
ployer and  employe,  what  force  can  do  it  ? 
•  A  godless  anarchy  tried  its  hand  upon  the  problem  in 
the  days  of  the  Reign  of  Terror.  It  wrote  upon  the 
church  doors  and  upon  all  the  dead  walls  of  Paris,  every- 
where, Liberty,  Fraternity,  Equality.  It  raved  and 
fought,  and  with  what  result  ?  To-day  the  French  peas- 
ant still  wears  his  smock-frock  and  wooden  sabots. 

Or  is  it  likely  that  communism  will  bring  about  the 
consummation  devoutly  to  be  wished  ?  Its  achievements 
thus  far  encourage  no  hope.  The  workingman  himself 
has  no  confidence  in  it. 

"  What  is  a  communist?    One  who  has  yearnings 
For  equal  division  of  unequal  earnings. 
Idler  or  bungler,  he  's  one  who  is  willing 
To  fork  out  his  penny  and  pocket  your  shilling." 

"The  "strike"  has  ever  been  a  weapon  of  weakness. 
It  rests  on  the  sophism  that  two  wrongs  may  make  a  right. 
The  difficulty  is  one  which  cannot  be  adjusted  by  violent 
measures.  Some  thousands  of  years  ago,  in  Egypt,  a  son 
of  the  Hebrews  went  out  among  his  brethren  who  were 
toiling  among  the  brick-kilns  and  looked  upon  their  bur- 
dens. He  saw  them  toiling  hard  and  receiving  no  recom- 
pense, oppressed  and  beaten  by  their  taskmasters.  In 
sudden  anger  he  drew  his  sword  and  wrought  murder 
with  it.  By  that  deed  the  deliverance  of  Israel  was  de- 
layed forty  years.  He  was  sent  out  into  the  wilderness 
of  Midian  to  meditate  in  solitude  upon  his  unwise  pre- 
cipitancy. To  him,  in  fulness  of  time,  the  Lord  said, 
"  I  have  seen  the  affliction  of.  my  people  and  have  heard 
their  cry  by  reason  of  their  taskmasters,  and  I  am  come 
down  to  deliver  them."  Then  on  a  certain  night  the 
signal  was  given  and  they  set  forth.    That  was  a  magnifi- 


276  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

cent  "  march  out."  And  lo,  yonder  in  the  heavens  the 
pillar  of  cloud  went  before  them.  The  Almighty  had 
taken  matters  into  his  own  hands,  as  it  is  written,  "  I 
am  the  Lord  thy  God,  which  have  brought  thee  out  of 
the  land  of  Egypt,  out  of  the  house  of  bondage."  Suc- 
cess is  sure  when  God  is  with  us. 

It  is  helpful  and  stimulating  to  know  that  God,  at  this 
day,  walks  up  and  down  among  the  children  of  men  in 
the  person  of  the  Nazarene  Carpenter.  He  has  come  into 
the  world  not  merely  to  deliver  men  from  spiritual  and 
eternal  death,  but  to  lessen  the  pains  and  augment  the 
pleasures  of  this  present  life. 

Oh  this  is  a  glorious  Christ,  a  glorious  Bible,  a  glori- 
ous religion  that  touches  our  troubled  lives  at  every 
point ! 

By  the  mediation  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  labor  ques- 
tion and  all  the  problems  of  humanity  will  be  wisely  ad- 
justed. Adam  Smith  said,  "A  prudent  self-interest  is  the 
sufficient  basis  of  economic  science."  It  would  be  wiser  to 
say  that  self-sacrifice  is  the  beginning  and  end  of  economic 
science.  The  settlement  of  this  question,  together  with 
the  adjustment  of  all  the  relations  of  human  life,  must  be 
brought  about  by  the  operation  of  the  divine  principle 
which  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  set  forth  in  the  golden  rule : 
"  Therefore  all  things  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men 
should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them." 


SHALL  WE  KNOW  EACH  OTHER  IN  HEAVEN?   2JJ 


SHALL  WE  KNOW  EACH  OTHER  IN 
HEAVEN  ? 


"  But  I  would  not  have  you  to  be  ignorant,  brethren,  concerning 
them  which  are  asleep,  that  ye  sorrow  not,  even  as  others  which 
have  no  hope."     i  Thess.  4:13. 

The  poverty  of  our  Western  farmers  is  largely  due  to 
the  fact  that  while  they  multiply  their  acres  they  content 
themselves  with  tilling  a  small  portion  for  present  use. 
We  keep  ourselves  poor,  spiritually,  for  a  like  reason. 
As  God's  children  and  co-heirs  with  his  only-begotten 
Son  we  have  a  vast  inheritance.  In  all  directions  it 
stretches  out  of  sight.  But  alas,  we  put  under  tillage  an 
infinitesimal  part  of  it,  only  so  much  of  it  as  lies  imme- 
diately around  our  present  homes  and  their  belongings. 
Oh  for  a  view  from  Nebo's  summit !  Oh  for  a  clear  ap- 
prehension, not  only  of  the  privilege  of  holy  living  here, 
but  of  those  unspeakable  things  which  God  hath  reserved 
for  them  that  love  him ! 

One  of  the  charms  of  Holy  Scripture  is  that,  taking 
for  granted  the  existence  of  a  brighter  and  better  world, 
it  relieves  the  uncertainty  respecting  it  with  a  twilight 
glow  of  vision  and  prophecy,  and  stimulates  in  us  a  long- 
ing, like  that  of  Israel,  to  go  over  and  possess  the  land. 
A  glorious  land  indeed,  and  among  its  attractions  there 
is  none  that  affects  us  more  profoundly  than  the  antici- 
pation of  meeting  and  recognizing  those  whom  we  have 


2/8  "THE    MORNING   COMETH." 

loved  and  lost.  We  cherish  the  thought  as  a  fond 
dream,  but  how  certainly  may  we  depend  upon  it  ?  How 
much  of  evidence  is  there  to  sustain  it?  Let  us  now 
call  up  the  witnesses  for  the  renewing  and  the  strength- 
ening of  our  faith. 

I.  Our  first  witness  is  The  Heart.  The  heart  of  this 
man  or  of  that  man  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  spiritual 
life  may  throb  uncertainly,  but  the  heart  of  the  race  beats 
true.  Man  was  made  in  God's  likeness,  and  there  is  a 
deep  longing  in  his  nature  for  a  return  to  God.  It  is 
like  the  voice  of  the  sea-shell  murmuring  of  the  sea. 

All  races  and  generations  have  held  this  doctrine  of 
recognition  in  the  better  life.  The  Greeks  believed  it. 
Socrates,  with  the  poisoned  cup  at  his  lips,  thus  dis- 
courses:  "  If  the  common  expression  be  true  that  death 
conveys  us  to  the  place  of  departed  men,  with  delight 
I  drink  this  hemlock,  for  it  sends  my  spirit  to  commune 
with  Ajax  and  Palamides."  The  Romans  believed  it. 
The  hero  of  the  /Eneid  going  out  into  the  unseen  world 
was  greeted  by  his  former  friends  : 

"  The  gladsome  ghosts  in  circling  troops  attend 
And  with  unwearied  eyes  behold  their  friend." 

The  Egyptians  believed  it,  else  why  did  they  fill  their 
dead  children's  hands  with  toys  and  trinkets?  and  why 
did  they  inscribe  upon  the  byssus  bands  the  hope  of  an 
awakening  on  the  morrow  ?  The  Hindoos  believe  it.  In 
the  institution  of  the  suttee,  as  the  widow  ascends  the  fune- 
ral pyre  she  unbinds  her  hair  and  makes  her  last  invoca- 
tion to  Brahm :  "  Oh  that  I  might  enjoy  with  my  hus- 
band as  many  joyful  years  in  the  better  world  as  there 
are  hairs  in  these  flowing  braids." 

Our  own  transcendental  poets  betray  their  belief  in  it : 


SHALL  WE  KNOW  EACH  OTHER  IN  HEAVEN  ?  279 

"  Somewhere  in  desolate,  wind-swept  space, 

In  twilight  land,  in  No-man's  Land, 
Two  hurrying  shapes  met  face  to  face 

And  bade  each  other  stand. 
And  '  Who  are  you  ?'  cried  one,  agape, 

Shuddering  in  the  gloaming  light. 
1 1  do  not  know,'  said  the  second  shape  ; 

'I  only  died  last  night.'" 

Thus,  when  we  find  the  pulse  of  the  race  it  testifies  to  the 
home-bringing.  The  heart  will  brook  no  denial.  It  in- 
sists that  we  shall  know  each  other  in  the  better  life. 

II.  Our  next  witness  is  Reason.  And  here  we  stand 
beyond  the  region  of  mere  sentiment.  Reason  coun- 
sels us  to  receive  any  doctrine  which  commends  itself  to 
our  best  judgment;  let  us  therefore  find  the  intellectual 
consensus.  Here  are  four  links  which  weld  themselves 
into  an  irrefutable  demonstration  : 

(1.)  Immortality.  It  would  be  a  superserviceable  task 
to  undertake  here  a  proof  of  immortality.  We  receive  it 
as  an  intuition.  It  is  one  of  those  universal  truths  which 
assert  themselves  as  axioms,  being  interwoven  with  the 
mental  constitution  of  the  race.  Do  you  ask,  "  If  a  man 
die,  shall  he  live  again  ?"  Listen  !  Your  whole  being  calls 
back,  "  I  shall  live  and  not  die."  We  therefore  take  the 
truth  of  immortality  as  a  postulate,  a  starting-point,  from 
which  we  pass  on  to  yet  more  glorious  truths. 

(2.)  Identity.  This  follows  immortality  as  a  neces- 
sary sequence.  The  Ego  or  self-conscious  personality  is 
not  impaired  by  death.  What  is  death?  "A  covered 
bridge  leading  from  light  to  light  through  a  brief  darkness." 
It  is  a  mighty  arch  with  brazen  gates  sprung  over  the 
pathway  of  our  life.  As  one  draws  nigh,  the  gates  roll 
back  on  creaking  hinges,  and  then,  the  momentary  an- 
guish over,  are  closed  again.     The  friends  stand  weeping 


280  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

here  and  vainly  gazing.  One  has  passed  through  and 
continues  his  journey  in  the  brighter,  better  life.  His 
identity  is  unchanged.  No  doubt  you  and  I  will  be 
amazed  in  the  moment  after  our  translation  to  find  how 
like  we  are  to  what  we  were;  there  will  be  scarcely  a 
break  in  consciousness.  We  shall  not  sink  our  personali- 
ties. No  Nirvana  awaits  us,  no  sinking  in  the  pantheistic 
soul,  as  a  drop  of  water  is  lost  in  the  unfathomable  sea. 
We  shall  live  right  on. 

(3.)  Memory.  There  is  no  Lethe  between  this  world 
and  the  hereafter.  There  can  be  none,  else  our  identity 
would  cease,  for  memory  is  the  nexus  binding  the  here 
with  the  hereafter.  We  shall  doubtless  walk  together  in 
the  green  pastures  of  Canaan  and  review  the  joys  and 
sorrows  of  our  earthly  life.  A  Danish  poet  tells  of  a 
glorified  spirit  who  was  sent  to  bring  the  soul  of  a  little 
girl  to  heaven.  While  winging  his  way  with  his  precious 
charge,  the  child  saw  a  rose-tree  in  his  hand  and  asked 
the  meaning  of  it.  The  angel  replied  that  once  upon  a 
time  there  was  a  poor  lad  in  the  city  they  had  left  who 
lay  for  a  long  while  dying.  That  rose-tree  was  the  one 
solace  of  his  loneliness;  it  filled  the  sick  chamber  with 
its  fragrance  and  spoke  of  the  coming  spring.  And  now, 
at  his  desire,  the  flower  was  to  be  transplanted  to  Para- 
dise. Then  the  child  looked  up  into  the  angel's  face  and 
asked, 

"  'How  knowest  thou  this,  bright  power?' 
Then  splendidly  he  smiled  : 
4  Should  I  not  know  my  flower  ? 
I  was  that  sickly  child."' 

Ay,  we  shall  remember  there.  The  old  home,  the  tree 
by  the  doorway,  the  well-sweep,  the  path  leading  through 
the  meadow,  the  far-away  sound  of  the  school-bell — we 


SHALL  WE  KNOW  EACH  OTHER  IN  HEAVEN?  28 1 

remember  them  here,  and  in  glory  they  will  still  abide 
with  us. 

(4.)  Recognition.  This  completes  the  four-linked 
chain  of  evidence — immortality,  identity,  memory,  recog- 
nition. The  first  involves  the  last.  If  there  is  to  be  a 
heaven  at  all,  we  shall  certainly  know  each  other  there. 

At  a  country  fair  in  New  England  the  militia  had  come 
from  many  surrounding  towns  and  the  parade  was  to  be 
led  by  old-time  musicians.  A  gray-haired  drummer  had 
taken  his  place  and  a  decrepit  fifer  beside  him,  veterans  of 
the  war  of  181 2,  but  quite  unknown  to  each  other.  They 
led  the  march  with  the  martial  tunes  of  long  ago.  At  last 
the  fifer  struck  up  a  tune  wherein  his  comrade  did  not 
follow  him.  The  fire  kindled  in  the  drummer's  eyes  and 
for  a  moment  he  held  his  drumsticks  motionless.  Then 
approaching  the  fifer  he  pushed  back  the  cap  from  his 
gray  hair  and  with  flashing  eyes  cried,  "John,  ye've 
played  that  before ;  ye  played  it  at  Lundy's  Lane !  I 
mind  ye.  I  played  the  drum  beside  ye  that  day.  Man, 
where  have  ye  been,  where  have  ye  been  ?"  Ah,  there 
will  be  times  in  heaven  when  we,  walking  in  the  golden 
streets,  shall  hear  the  sound  of  familiar  voices  or  a  strain 
of  music  or  shall  catch  glimpses  of  faces  that  were  famil- 
iar long  ago.  And  there  will  be  greetings  and  hand- 
claspings  and  the  past  will  live  again. 

III.  We  turn  now  to  the  court  of  last  appeal,  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  For  when  the  heart  and  reason  have 
borne  their  utmost  testimony  it  yet  remains  for  us  to  make 
sure,  doubly  sure,  by  turning  to  the  oracles  of  God.  The 
truth  of  the  whole  Scriptures,  so  far  as  they  have  reference 
to  the  eternal  life,  is  hypothecated  upon  the  fact  of  immor- 
tality with  all  its  logical  sequences.  This  recognition  of 
the  saints  would  stand  in  Scripture  even  if  there  were  no 


282  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

"  thus  saith  the  Lord."  But  the  direct  testimony  is  plain 
and  clear. 

(i.)  This  truth  is  implied  in  all  passages  that  refer  to 
heave?i  as  a  home,  the  Father's  house  with  many  man- 
sions, the  household  of  the  people  of  God.  What  makes  a 
home  ?  Four  walls  and  a  roof?  Tapestries  and  pictures  ? 
Nay !  the  presence  of  our  dear  ones.  What  sort  of  a 
heaven  would  that  be  where  the  members  of  the  family 
would  not  know  each  other?  A  devout  man,  on  being 
asked  if  he  expected  to  know  his  favorite  sister  in  the 
after-world,  said  that  he  expected  to  be  so  continually 
occupied  with  the  beauty  of  the  Bright  and  Morning  Star 
that  she  might  remain  for  ages  at  his  side  and  he  not 
notice  her.  In  that  reply  there  was  a  vast  amount  of 
pious  ignorance.  Is  there  any  incompatibility  between 
our  love  for  the  great  Father  and  our  love  for  our  own 
dear  ones  ?  Is  there  any  incongruity  between  the  first 
and  second  of  the  great  commandments  ?  A  man  may 
love  the  Lord  with  all  his  soul  and  yet  love  his  human 
friends  with  a  pure  heart  fervently.  Nay,  more,  the  love 
of  God  is  perfected  in  us  only  when  we  thus  love  one  an- 
other. Our  kinships  and  our  friendships  are  as  eternal 
as  the  Father's  love. 

(2.)  This  truth  is  furthermore  implied  in  all  passages 
which  speak  of  the  dead  as  having  rejoined  the  sai?its  tri- 
umphant, as  where  Abraham  and  others  of  the  patriarchs 
are  said  to  have  been  "  gathered  unto  their  fathers  "  or 
"  gathered  unto  their  people."  Some  have  supposed  this 
to  mean  that  they  were  buried,  so  to  speak,  in  the  family 
burying-ground.  This,  however,  was  not  the  case  with 
Abraham,  whose  body  slept  in  an  isolated  grave,  or  of 
Moses,  who  slept  in  the  mountain,  and  of  whom  it  is  writ- 
ten, "  No  man  knoweth  of  his  sepulchre  unto  this  day." 


SHALL  WE  KNOW  EACH  OTHER  IN  HEAVEN  ?  2 S3 

All  such  statements  must  have  reference  not  to  the  body- 
but  to  the  soul,  and  they  point  to  the  reunion  of  the  saints. 

(3.)  In  passages  which  speak  of  heaven  as  a  feast. 
Did  you  ever  sit  at  table  with  a  company  when  you  were 
acquainted  with  only  your  host,  and  if  so,  was  it  not  a  chil- 
ly experience  ?  And  shall  we  so  look  forward  to  the  mar- 
riage feast  whereat  we  are  to  celebrate  the  nuptials  of  the 
King's  Son  ?  Of  that  festive  occasion  the  Lord  said, 
"  They  shall  come  from  the  east  and  the  west  and  the 
north  and  the  south  and  sit  down  with  Abraham  and 
Isaac  in  the  kingdom."  If  the  inhabitants  are  to  know 
those  ancient  worthies  why  shall  they  not  also  recognize 
others  who  are  nearer  and  dearer  than  they  ? 

(4.)  In  all  passages  respecting  the  judgment.  We  are 
to  be  called  to  account  at  the  great  day  for  all  sins  done 
in  the  body.  But  it  is  manifestly  needful,  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  justice,  that  the  culprit  shall  know  himself  to  be 
the  evil-doer.  We  can  neither  be  justly  punished  nor  re- 
warded unless  we  can  look  back  upon  our  good  or  evil 
deeds.  In  the  Tichborne  trial  it  was  the  question  of 
identity  that  determined  whether  the  claimant  should 
have  an  inheritance  or  a  term  in  prison.  So  the  thought 
of  judgment  loses  all  its  significance  if  our  personal  iden- 
tity and  memory  of  the  past  be  eliminated  from  it. 

(5.)  In  the  story  of  Davids  bereavement.  How  simple 
and  touching  are  the  words!  "Is  the  child  dead?"  he 
said  to  his  servants.  And  they  answered,  "  He  is  dead." 
Then  David  arose  from  the  earth  and  washed  and 
anointed  himself  and  changed  his  apparel  and  came  into 
the  house  of  the  Lord  and  worshipped :  then  he  came  to 
his  own  house,  and  he  required  and  they  set  bread  before 
him,  and  he  did  eat.  Then  said  his  servants  unto  him, 
"  What  thing  is  this  that  thou  hast  done  ?    Thou  didst  fast 


284  "THE   MORNING   COMETH.' 

and  weep  for  the  child  while  it  was  alive ;  but  when  the 
child  was  dead,  thou  didst  rise  and  eat  bread."  And  he 
said,  "  While  the  child  was  yet  alive  I  fasted  and  wept,  for 
I  said,  Who  can  tell  whether  God  will  be  gracious  to  me, 
that  the  child  may  live  ?  But  now  he  is  dead,  wherefore 
should  I  fast?  can  I  bring  him  back  again?  I  shall  go 
to  him,  but  he  shall  not  return  to  me." 

(6.)  In  the  account  of  the  transfiguratioyi  of  our  Lord. 
Here  were  two  persons  who  had  lived  in  centuries  far 
apart  and  who  had  been  more  than  a  thousand  years  in 
glory,  represented  not  only  as  knowing  each  other,  but 
as  having  a  deep  and  practical  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the 
living,  for  they  spake  of  the  decease  which  Jesus  was  to 
accomplish  at  Jerusalem. 

(7.)  In  the  parable  of  Dives  and  Lazarus.  The  rich 
man  is  represented  here  as  knowing  afar  off  the  beggar 
who  formerly  lay  at  his  gate  and  as  understanding  the 
condition  of  his  brethren  who  were  still  living  on  earth. 

(8.)  In  our  text:  "  Brethren,  I  would  not  have  you  to 
be  ignorant  concerning  them  which  are  asleep,  that  ye 
sorrow  not,  even  as  others  which  have  no  hope."  Paul  is 
writing  to  the  Christians  in  Thessalonica  among  whom  he 
had  labored  and  whom  he  regarded  as  his  joy  and  crown 
at  the  coming  of  Christ.  He  now  comforts  them  respect- 
ing the  welfare  of  their  friends,  many  of  whom  had  for 
the  truth's  sake  been  burned,  beheaded,  sawn  asunder,  or 
slain  by  lions.  He  would  not  have  them  sorrow  for  these 
loved  ones  "even  as  others  which  have  no  hope,"  for  Christ 
in  his  gospel  had  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light  and 
had  opened  the  doors  of  the  Father's  house  and  given 
them  a  hope  that  maketh  not  ashamed.  He  assures  them 
that  the  time  is  drawing  near  when  all  shall  be  trans- 
ported to  the  better  life.     Those  who  may  be  still  living 


SHALL  WE  KNOW  EACH  OTHER  IN  HEAVEN  ?   285 

at  the  Lord's  coming  shall  be  caught  up  together  with 
their  loved  ones  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  him,  and  so  shall 
we  ever  be  with  the  Lord. 

Thus  the  hope  of  reunion  rests  upon  the  sure  testi- 
mony of  the  divine  Word ;  herein  let  us  comfort  one  an- 
other. 

"As  for  thy  friends,  they  are  not  lost : 
The  several  vessels  of  thy  fleet, 
Though  parted  now,  by  tempests  tossed, 
Shall  safely  in  the  haven  meet." 

I  speak  to  bereaved  husbands  and  wives,  some  of 
whom  have  longed  these  many  years  to  look  into  the  dear 
absent  eyes  ;  ye  do  not  sorrow  as  those  who  are  without 
hope.  Great  was  the  joy  of  the  espousal ;  the  joy  of  the 
reunion  shall  be  greater. 

I  speak  to  motherless  children  who  feel  the  lingering 
touch  of  mother's  arms,  who  find  themselves,  even  after 
the  lapse  of  many  years,  recalling  the  dear  vanished  face. 
Oh  for  a  word  from  mother's  lips  !  It  shall  be,  bless  God  ! 
We  sorrow  not  as  do  those  who  are  without  hope. 

I  speak  to  parents  who  have  given  their  children  back 
to  God.  How  dark  were  the  wings  of  the  death  angel ! 
But  Israfel  will  make  all  right.  It  was  a  blessed  thing 
that  happened  under  the  archway  at  the  village  of  Nain. 
A  mother  was  walking  behind  the  bier  whereon  lay  the 
body  of  her  child.  She  was  a  widow,  and  he  her  only 
son.  Nearing  the  gate  came  another  procession,  Jesus 
and  his  small  retinue  of  followers.  They  met  beneath  the 
gate,  those  two,  life  and  death.  And  it  is  written,  "Jesus 
had  compassion  on  her."  Oh  blessed,  pitying  heart !  And 
he  laid  his  hand  upon  the  bier  and  said,  "  Arise,"  and  the 
lad  arose  and  sat  up.  And  what  then  ?  He  "  gave  him 
unto  his  mother."     In  this  let  us  behold  a  foregleam  of 


286  "THE   MORNING   COMETH. 

the  joy  which  awaits  us  in  the  better  life.  Oh  golden  day 
of  days  when  the  Lord  shall  put  back  the  children  in 
their  mothers'  arms  !  Verily,  verily  we  do  not  sorrow  as 
those  who  have  no  hope.  We  pass  within  the  shadow, 
but  above  its  gloom  is  the  overarching  promise  of  the 
glorious  future.     We  shall  meet  again,  blessed  be  God ! 


WE   BEHELD   HIS   GLORY.  287 


WE  BEHELD  HIS  GLORY 


"  And  we  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only-begotten  of  the 
Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth."    John  1 :  14. 

St.  John  was  the  apostle  of  the  glory  of  Christ.  He 
saw  it  more  clearly  than  others,  doubtless  because  as  the 
beloved  disciple  he  entered  into  the  secret  place  of  his 
Lord's  confidence.  The  heart  has  perceptions  to  which 
the  mind  is  oftentimes  a  stranger.  The  Virgin  Mother, 
also,  knew  that  her  son  Jesus  was  more  than  an  ordinary 
man ;  this  was  the  secret  which  as  a  fond  mother  she 
"  kept  in  her  heart."  But  she  was  slow  to  perceive  the 
full  meaning  of  it.  Not  one  of  the  disciples  seemed  fully 
to  believe  on  him.  It  was  not  until  the  last  journey  down 
through  Caesarea  Philippi  that  Peter,  foremost  always, 
was  moved  to  utter  the  good  confession,  "  Thou  art  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God !"  But  the  great  truth 
came  ultimately  to  them  all.  Then  even  doubting  Thomas, 
in  the  presence  of  his  risen  Master,  was  constrained  to 
cry,  "  My  Lord  and  my  God !" 

To  see  the  divine  glory  has  ever  been  the  yearning 
desire  of  earnest  men.  It  is  not  possible.  Can  the  naked 
eye  gaze  at  the  noonday  sun?  Can  a  child  hold  the 
ocean  in  the  hollow  of  its  hand?  Can  the  finite  form  a 
conception  of  the  infinite  ?  Yet  this  vain  longing  is  proof 
of  our  divine  lineage.  So  Moses  entreated,  "  Show  me 
thy  glory !"  And  God  answered,  "  Hide  thyself  in  the 
cleft  of  the  rock  yonder  and  I  will  pass  by."  He  hid  him- 
self and  waited,  but  all  that  he  heard  was  the  rustle  of  a 


288  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

garment,  all  that  he  saw  was  a  vanishing  robe.  No  man 
has  ever  seen  God  and  lived. 

It  was,  however,  to  meet  this  fervent  desire  of  the  hu- 
man heart  that  God  condescended  to  give  a  visible  token 
of  his  real  presence.  It  was  the  Shechinah,  the  luminous 
cloud  that  hovered  over  the  tabernacle  and  which  as  pil- 
lar of  cloud  by  day  and  of  fire  by  night  led  the  children 
of  Israel  through  the  wilderness  to  the  land  which  flowed 
with  milk  and  honey.  It  rose  ever  between  the  wings  of 
the  angels  over  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  shadowing  the 
mercy-seat  where  Jehovah  had  promised  to  meet  his  peo- 
ple and  commune  with  them.  The  Shechinah  was  no 
longer  needed  when  the  only-begotten  Son  of  the  Father 
became  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us.  He  was  its  anti-type, 
its  glorious  fulfilment.  Great  is  the  mystery  of  godli- 
ness, God  manifested  in  the  flesh  ;  the  angels  desire  to 
look  into  it. 

We  have  neither  the  Shechinah  nor  the  Incarnate  One, 
we  know  Christ  no  more  after  the  flesh,  yet  his  glory  lin- 
gers. Is  it  not  strange  that  of  all  the  procession  of  the 
mighties  who  have  passed  by,  not  one  has  wholly  escaped 
the  twilight  of  oblivion  save  this  Carpenter  of  Nazareth  ? 
Kings  and  potentates,  sages  and  philosophers,  Caesars 
and  Alexanders  and  Napoleons — their  greatness  has  van- 
ished like  the  unsubstantial  fabric  of  a  dream.  Of  them 
was  it  written,  "  The  path  of  glory  leads  but  to  the  grave." 
But  not  so  of  this  Nazarene  Carpenter;  his  name  has 
grown  brighter  with  each  succeeding  age  and  shall  until 
every  knee  shall  bow  at  the  mention  of  it. 

"  No  mortal  can  with  him  compare 
Among  the  sons  of  men  ; 
Fairer  is  he  than  all  the  fair 
That  fill  the  heavenly  train." 


WE   BEHELD   HIS   GLORY.  289 

The  apostle  said,  "  We  beheld  his  glory."  We  also, 
good  friends,  have  seen  it,  the  glory  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
waxing  like  a  crescent  from  the  beginning  until  now. 
What  was  the  glory  that  John  saw  ?  What  is  the  glory 
that  gives  an  unchallenged  preeminence  to  the  Carpenter 
of  Nazareth  over  all  the  earth  to-day  ? 

I.  It  was  not  the  glory  of  an  illustrious  birth.  No 
bells  were  rung  when  Prince  Immanuel  came.  He  was 
of  humble  parentage,  a  child  of  the  people.  His  boyhood 
was  passed  in  an  obscure  village  in  a  remote  corner  of 
the  earth.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  and  at 
eventide  wiped  the  sweat  of  honest  toil  from  his  brow. 
There  was  no  halo  around  his  head  nor  any  outward  token 
of  glory  beyond  that  of  other  men. 

II.  Nor  was  it  the  glory  of  any  natural  endowment 
such  as  extraordinary  wisdom.  He  was  indeed  possessed 
of  that.  The  great  themes  which  reach  out  into  eternity — 
God,  immortality,  judgment,  heaven,  hell — themes  which 
the  sages  and  philosophers  had  avoided  or  treated  with 
the  utmost  diffidence,  he  boldly  confronted — he,  an  untu- 
tored handworker.  And  when  he  touched  these  problems 
he  solved  them.  His  teaching  was  characterized  by  the 
utmost  simplicity.  There  is  much  turgid  prolixity  in  the 
philosophical  discussions  of  our  time.  Goldsmith  said 
to  Dr.  Johnson,  "  You  make  your  little  fishes  talk  like 
whales."  This  is  our  fault,  and  men  foster  it  by  their 
foolish  fondness  for  a  seeming  profundity  which  is  mere 
bathos.  This  Jesus  used  no  sesquipedalian  words.  He 
set  forth  the  sublimities  in  terms  so  plain  that  a  wayfaring 
man,  however  foolish,  need  not  err  in  them.  And  he 
spake  with  the  might  and  power  of  an  original  author- 
ity ;  not  like  the  scribes,  who  were  mere  empyrics,  but 
like  one  who  had  dwelt  in  the  midst  of  those  glorious  re- 

19 


290 

alities  of  which  he  testified  from  personal  knowledge. 
His  word  was,  "  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you."  He 
waved  aside  the  wisdom  of  all  the  rabbis  who  had  gone 
before  him.  "  Ye  have  heard  how  it  was  said  by  them  of 
olden  time  "  thus  and  so,  "  but  /  say  unto  you."  // 
Who  is  this  that  speaks  in  such  presumptuous  terms  ?  The 
Carpenter  of  Nazareth.  Yet  his  words  have  outlived  all 
the  wisdom, of  the  wise,  and  now,  nineteen  hundred  years 
having  passed,  they  wield  the  commanding  influence 
among  men  and  nations.  As  a  teacher  of  divine  truth 
this  man  from  the  carpenter  shop  of  Nazareth  stands  sol- 
itary and  alone.  The  world  assents  to  the  judgment  of 
the  officers  sent  by  the  Sanhedrin  to  arrest  him,  "  Never 
man  spake  like  this  man." 

Nevertheless  this  was  not  the  glory  which  John  saw, 
nor  can  it  account  for  his  preeminent  place  in  history 
until  this  day. 

III.  Nor  was  it  the  glory  of  poiver.  He  was  indeed 
possessed  of  power  beyond  all  other  men,  insomuch  that 
he  said,  "All  power  is  given  unto  me." 

He  had  an  absolute  command  of  nature.  Xerxes 
scourged  the  stormy  waves  and  they  roared  back  defiant 
laughter.  Jesus  said,  "  Peace,  be  still !"  and  like  naughty 
children  they  sobbed  themselves  to  sleep  before  him. 
At  his  reproachful  word  the  fig-tree  withered ;  in  his 
hands  the  loaves  were  multiplied  that  the  hungry  might 
be  fed.  He  went  down  to  the  marriage  at  Cana : 
"  The  conscious  water,  touched  by  grace  divine, 
Confessed  its  Lord  and  blushed  itself  to  wine." 

Not  less  absolute  was  his  authority  over  men.  To  the 
fishermen  by  the  lakeside,  to  the  tax-gatherer  at  the  re- 
ceipt of  customs,  he  said,  "  Follow  me  !"  and  as  if  moved 
by  some  mesmeric  or  hypnotic  influence  they  straightway 


WE   BEHELD   HIS   GLORY.  29 1 

arose  and  followed  him.  And  multitudes  have  been 
doing  it  ever  since.  He  spoke  of  the  heavenly  grace  in 
hearing  of  the  Magdalene,  and  she,  her  garments  bedrag- 
gled in  vice  and  her  heart  filled  with  unutterable  shame, 
came  and  wept  before  him.  He  spoke  to  the  children, 
and  they  came  clambering  upon  his  knees ;  he  spoke  to 
the  unclean  spirits  who  had  taken  possession  of  the  de- 
moniac, and  lo !  he  sat  at  the  Lord's  feet  clothed  and  in 
his  right  mind.  He  called  aloud  at  the  grave's  mouth, 
"Come  forth! "and  the  sheeted  dead  arose  to  newness 
of  life. 

In  all  these  visible  tokens  of  the  mightiness  of  Jesus  we 
are  impressed  with  the  thought  of  reserve  power.  His  mira- 
cles told  not  so  much  of  what  he  did  as  of  what  he  might 
do.  There  was  the  hiding  of  strength.  When  they  came 
with  lanterns  and  staves  and  spears  to  Gethsemane  he 
said,  "  Whom  seek  ye  ?"  They  answered,  "  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth." And  at  his  words,  "  I  am  he  !"  they  went  back- 
ward and  fell  to  the  ground.  Was  this  because  there  was 
for  a  moment  a  breaking  forth  of  his  secret  power  ?  Had 
they  touched  the  live  wire  of  Omnipotence  ?  In  any  case, 
such  a  manifestation  befitted  him  who  made  the  supreme 
claim,  "All  power  is  given  unto  me." 

Nevertheless  this  was  not  the  glory  of  which  John 
spoke,  nor  is  it  the  memory  of  this  manifestation  of  power 
that  gives  to  Jesus  his  conspicuous  place  as  the  greatest 
of  earth's  mighties. 

IV.  Was  it  his  extraordinary  goodness  ?  Here  in- 
deed he  stood  solitary  and  alone.  He  was  not  conscious 
of  sin.  No  confession  of  sin  ever  fell  from  his  lips.  Adam 
hid  himself  among  the  trees  of  the  garden  because  he  was 
ashamed.  David  cried,  "  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  God, 
according   to   thy  loving-kindness ;    according   unto  the 


292  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

multitude  of  thy  tender  mercies  blot  out  my  transgres- 
sions. Wash  me  thoroughly  from  mine  iniquity,  and 
cleanse  me  from  my  sin.  For  I  acknowledge  my  trans- 
gressions and  my  sin  is  ever  before  me."  Isaiah  ex- 
claimed, "  Woe  is  me,  for  I  am  a  man  of  unclean  lips !" 
Paul  was  overwhelmed  with  contrition:  "Oh  wretched 
man  that  I  am,  who  will  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this 
death  !"  But  Jesus  sent  forth  this  challenge,  "  Which  of 
you  convinceth  me  of  sin?" 

If  a  single  flaw  had  been  found  in  his  life  and  charac- 
ter, if  the  search-light  of  criticism  through  these  centuries 
had  been  able  to  detect  so  much  even  as  a  suggestion 
of  a  single  sin  or  ill-considered  word  or  selfish  deed, 
the  whole  fabric  of  the  Christian  faith  would  have  fallen 
asunder,  for  it  rests  upon  the  absolute  perfectness  of 
the  character  of  this  Jesus.  But  the  world  unites  in 
the  confession  made  by  the  centurion  who  had 
charge  of  his  crucifixion,  "  Verily,  this  was  a  righteous 
man." 

Nor  was  this  merely  negative  goodness.  All  the  posi- 
tive graces  of  character  were  bound  together  in  him. 
Name  any  attribute  of  a  noble  life,  and  lo  !  he  had  it  in 
perfection.  He  was  par  excellence  the  Son  of  man,  i.  e., 
the  ideal  of  manhood.  His  biography  was  written  in 
eloquent  words,  "  He  went  about  doing  good."  He 
showed  forth  kindness  towards  all,  his  friends  and  his  ene- 
mies, drabs,  thieves,  lepers,  God's  poor  and  the  devil's 
poor — to  all  alike  and  impartially.  He  deserved  the 
tribute  which  Renan,  his  infidel  biographer,  has  paid  to 
him  :  "  Whatever  may  be  the  surprises  of  the  future,  Jesus 
will  never  be  surpassed.  His  worship  will  grow  young 
without  ceasing ;  his  legend  will  call  forth  tears  without 
end ;  his  sufferings  will  melt  the  noblest  hearts ;  all  ages 


WE   BEHELD   HIS   GLORY.  293 

will  proclaim  that  among  the  sons  of  men  there  is  none 
born  greater  than  Jesus." 

But  the  glory  which  the  apostle  saw  in  Him  and  the 
glory  which  all  believers  have  seen  in  Him  since  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Christian  era  was  something  more  than 
this,  something  more  than  adventitious  greatness  which 
natural  or  supernatural  powers  and  grace  could  confer 
upon  him. 

V.  We  beheld  His  glory  as  of  the  only-begotten  of  the 
Father.  He  had  nothing  less  than  the  glory  of  Godhood. 
He  was  the  only-begotten  of  the  Father.  His  glory  was 
like  that  of  the  Shechinah,  at  once  the  shining  forth  and 
the  adumbration  of  deity.  He  was  God  manifest  in  flesh. 
To  attribute  to  Jesus  all  the  foregoing  tokens  of  greatness 
while  denying  him  this  divineness,  this  glory  as  of  the 
only-begotten  of  the  Father,  is  to  fall  infinitely  short  of 
the  truth. 

He  claimed  to  be  very  God  of  very  God.  His  claim 
was  verified  at  his  birth  by  the  singing  of  the  angels ;  at 
his  baptism  by  the  voice  from  heaven ;  at  his  transfigura- 
tion by  the  enfolding  cloud  which  was  again  the  She- 
chinah, the  excellent  glory,  and  the  voice  saying,  "  This  is 
my  beloved  Son ;"  at  his  death  by  the  shrouding  of  the 
heavens  and  the  rocking  of  the  earth ;  at  his  resurrection 
by  the  breaking  of  the  bands  of  death  when  he  took  cap- 
tivity captive ;  at  his  ascension  when  he  arose  with  up- 
lifted hands  and  vanished  from  sight  leaving  his  benedic- 
tion upon  the  world ;  at  Pentecost  when  there  came  a 
baptism  of  fire  and  of  power  because  Jesus  had  breathed 
upon  his  disciples ;  and  all  along  history  by  innumerable 
miracles  of  grace,  for  he  still  walks  up  and  down  our 
thoroughfares  opening  blind  eyes,  wiping  away  the  scales 
of  leprosy,  dispossessing  those  who  have  been  demented 


294  "THE   MORNING    COMETH. 

by  unclean  spirits,  and  raising  the  dead.  This  is  the 
glory  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  glory  as  of  the  only-be- 
gotten of  the  Father. 

VI.  But  why  this  shilling  forth  of glory  ?  It  is  surely 
not  for  the  mere  gratification  of  the  curious?  At  this 
point  we  come  upon  two  significant  words,  grace  and 
truth.  This  only-begotten  of  the  Father  was  full  of  grace 
and  truth. 

His  coming  to  the  earth  was  to  show  the  grace  of  God 
to  usward.  He  brought  the  message,  "  God  so  loved  the 
world  that  he  gave  his  only-begotten  Son,  that  whosoever 
believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting 
life."  As  the  Shechinah  led  the  children  of  Israel  out  of 
the  land  of  Egypt,  out  of  the  house  of  their  bondage,  so 
did  this  living  anti-type  of  the  Shechinah,  the  only-be- 
gotten of  the  Father,  come  to  deliver  our  ruined  race 
from  the  bondage  of  spiritual  and  eternal  death. 

The  word  truth,  here,  characterizes  our  Lord's  devo- 
tion to  this  work.  Aletheia  is  a  large  word ;  it  means 
more  than  veracity.  It  means  loyalty  to  a  noble  purpose. 
It  means  an  unswerving  devotion  to  a  supreme  object  of 
life.  So  we  say  of  a  man,  sometimes,  he  is  true  as  steel, 
he  is  true  as  the  needle  to  the  pole.  So  true  was  Jesus 
to  his  errand  of  grace.  He  never  forgot  it,  he  never 
swerved  from  it.  Perhaps  he  might  have  chosen  an 
easier  path,  but  in  that  he  would  not  have  been  a  true 
man.  He  set  his  face  steadfastly  towards  the  cross.  He 
never  flinched.  In  the  beginning  he  offered  himself  to 
bring  a  message  of  amnesty  to  the  world.  As  he  set  forth 
he  caught  up  the  hand-writing  of  ordinances  which  was 
against  us,  the  decree,  "  The  soul  that  sinneth  it  shall  die." 
It  was  his  purpose  to  erase  that  decree  with  blood  and 
nail  it  to  his  cross.     For  thirty  weary  years  he  was  ever 


WE   BEHELD    HIS   GLORY.  295 

mindful  of  his  mission.  With  that  grim  death -sentence 
in  his  hand  he  ran  the  gauntlet  of  men  and  devils.  They 
reviled  him  and  spit  upon  him — on  he  ran  ;  they  scourged 
him,  they  loaded  him  with  shame  and  obloquy — on  he 
ran,  until  he  reached  the  hilltop  outside  the  walls  of  the 
Holy  City,  and  there,  while  they  nailed  him  to  the  cross, 
he  delivered  his  message  of  grace;  while  his  enemies 
seemed  to  be  nailing  him  to  the  accursed  tree  he  was 
blotting  out  the  handwriting  of  ordinances  which  was 
against  us  with  his  own  precious  blood  and  nailing  it  to 
his  cross.     (Col.  2  :  14.) 

His  work  was  done,  his  glory — the  glory  of  the  only- 
begotten  of  the  Father — was  perfected  in  this  message  of 
grace.  And  then  the  heavens  opened.  A  retinue  of 
angels  met  him  and  bore  him  back  to  the  glory  which  he 
had  with  the  Father  before  the  world  was.  "  Lift  up 
your  heads,  O  ye  gates,"  they  cried,  "  and  be  ye  lift  up, 
ye  everlasting  doors,  and  let  the  King  of  Glory  enter  in." 
He  was  dead,  but  liveth  and  is  alive  for  evermore,  and 
ever  maketh  intercession  for  us. 

"The  head  that  once  was  crowned  with  thorns 
Is  crowned  with  glory  now." 

And  meanwhile,  here  on  earth,  his  name  grows  brighter 
with  every  passing  year.  The  story  of  his  work  in  our 
behalf  is  finding  its  way  to  the  hearts  of  the  children  of 
men.  Wherefore  God  hath  given  him  the  NAME  which 
is  above  every  name :  that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every 
knee  should  bow,  of  things  in  heaven,  and  things  in  earth, 
and  things  under  the  earth ;  and  that  every  tongue  should 
confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God 
the  Father.     (Phil.  2  :  10.) 


2g6  "  THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

JUDAS  ISCARIOT;  OR  THE  FLOWER, 
FRUIT,  AND  ASHES  OF  SIN. 


"And  Judas  Iscariot,  which  also  betrayed  him."     Mark  3: 19. 

"  Let  no  man  say  when  he  is  tempted,  I  am  tempted  of  God:  for  God 
cannot  be  tempted  with  evil,  neither  tempteth  he  any  man: 
but  every  man  is  tempted  when  he  is  drawn  away  of  his  own 
lust  and  enticed.  Then  when  lust  hath  conceived,  it  bring- 
eth  forth  sin.  and  sin,  when  it  is  finished,  bringeth  forth  death." 
James  1:13-15. 

What  's  in  a  name  ?  Much  every  way.  An  army  of 
lads  have  been  called  "John  "  and  "  Peter"  and  "James," 
but  was  ever  a  lad  named  for  Judas  Iscariot  ?  The  world 
abhors  the  memory  of  that  man.  And  rightly  so.  As 
friendship  is  the  most  genial,  gratitude  the  most  humane, 
and  loyalty  the  most  heroic  of  the  graces,  so  is  treachery 
the  basest  and  meanest  of  crimes.  In  the  three  lists  of 
the  disciples  this  Judas  is  always  mentioned  with  the 
stigma,  "  which  also  betrayed  him."  He  has  come  down 
through  the  centuries  bearing  that  scarlet  letter  on  his 
breast. 

His  biography  is  the  story  of  the  evolution  of  death. 
Yet  he  was  once  an  infant  in  a  fond  mother's  arms.  He 
played  with  other  boys  in  the  streets  of  Kerioth  and  his 
laughter  was  as  innocent  and  merry  as  theirs.  He 
dreamed  the  dreams  and  saw  the  visions  which  are  com- 
mon to  those  who  stand  on  the  verge  of  young  manhood. 
Then  into  that  life  came  the  figure  of  Jesus.  The  word 
was  spoken,  "  Follow  me."  A  man  whom  Jesus  thus  meets 
is  never  quite  the  same  after  it.    This  is  the  pivotal  episode 


JUDAS   ISCARIOT.  297 

in  every  life.  The  issues  of  eternity  are  involved  in  it. 
This  man  of  Kerioth  heeded  the  voice  of  Jesus  and  rose 
up  and  followed  him. 

We  mark  from  this  time  onward  three  stages  in  the 
development  of  evil.  They  are  given  by  the  apostle 
James  in  these  words,  "And  lust,  when  it  hath  conceived, 
bringeth  forth  sin  ;  and  sin,  when  it  is  finished,  bringeth 
forth  death."  There  is  a  tree  in  the  Orient  which  bears  a 
crimson  blossom  before  putting  forth  foliage — a  flower  so 
deadly  that  the  bees  in  search  of  sweetness,  dipping  into 
it,  fall  dead.  The  fruit  of  this  tree  is  a  gall-apple  which 
at  ripeness  is  filled  with  a  bitter  dust.  It  is  appropriately 
called  the  Judas  tree,  and  it  is  an  apologue  of  the  self- 
propagating  power  of  evil — -the  blossom,  the  fruit,  and  the 
ashes  of  it. 

I.  The  blossom  of  the  Judas  tree  is  lust.  The  word 
has  an  uncanny  sound.  In  Scripture,  however,  its  refer- 
ence is  usually  to  inordinate  desire  of  any  sort. 

(1.)  Avarice,  or  the  inordinate  desire  for  money.  It  is 
written  of  Judas  that  "  he  bare  the  bag."  There  is  no 
reason  to  say  that  money  of  itself  is  other  than  good. 
But  the  love  of  it  is  a  root  of  all  evil. 


Bright  and  yellow,  hard  and  cold, 
Molten,  graven,  hammered,  and  rolled  ; 
Heavy  to  get  and  light  to  hold  ; 
Hoarded,  bartered,  bought,  and  sold, 
Stolen,  borrowed,  squandered,  doled  : 
Spurned  by  the  young,  but  hugged  by  the  old 
To  the  very  verge  of  the  church-yard  mould  ; 
Price  of  many  a  crime  untold  : 
Gold!  gold!  gold!  gold! 
Good  or  bad  a  thousand-fold  ! 
How  widely  its  agencies  vary, 


298  "  THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

To  save,  to  ruin,  to  curse,  to  bless, 
As  even  its  minted  coins  express, 
Now  stamped  with  the  image  of  good  Queen  Bess, 
And  now  of  a  Bloody  Mary." 

Whether  our  money — much  or  little — shall  prove  a  bless- 
ing- or  a  curse,  depends  on  our  way  of  regarding  and 
of  using  it.  Money  will  kindle  a  fire  to  warm  the  blue 
hands  of  poverty  or  to  burn  up  truth,  virtue,  love,  and  all 
the  noblest  passions  of  the  heart.  Money  will  provide 
bread  for  the  widow  and  the  fatherless,  or  glut  the  soul 
and  body  with  brutish  vices.  Money,  if  rightly  used,  will 
make  the  wildernesses  of  this  world  to  blossom  like  the 
rose ;  or,  if  wrongly  used,  will  scorch  the  greenest  mead- 
ows and  exile  their  possessors  to  Azazel  for  ever.  "  How 
widely  its  agencies  vary !"  Take  heed  and  beware  how 
you  covet  it ;  take  heed  and  beware  how  you  use  it. 

(2.)  Sensuality,  or  the  inordinate  desire  of  pleasure. 
The  sensual  man  is  one  who  lives  under  the  domination 
of  his  senses.  His  noblest  pursuit  is  self-gratification. 
The  end  of  that  man  is  disappointment  and  shame.  The 
Greeks  had  a  temple  of  pleasure  which  was  entered  by 
a  magnificent  doorway  where  lights  gleamed  and  min- 
strels played  and  sang.  From  within  came  sounds  of 
music  and  of  dancing.  But  at  the  rear  of  this  temple  was 
a  wicket  gate  opening  into  a  swine-yard.  The  end  of 
pleasure-seeking  is  not  satisfaction  but  satiety.  The  bac- 
chanal is  thrust  forth,  stripped  and  despoiled,  into  shame 
and  contempt.  His  substance  wasted,  he  sits  in  the 
swine-field  alone  with  his  shame  and  poverty. 

(3.)  Ambition,  or  the  overweening  love  of  earthly 
honor.  This  is  the  weakness  of  the  noblest  minds.  No 
passion  is  so  insatiable ;  death  only  ends  it.  Do  you  re- 
member the  dream  of  Alexander  the  Great  at  the  door- 


JUDAS   ISCARIOT.  299 

way  of  paradise  ?  There  he  besought  a  blessing.  The 
warder  gave  him  a  concave  disk  of  bone,  an  empty  eye- 
socket,  saying,  "This  hath  passion  infinite,  but  a  little  dust 
will  cover  it.  Control  thyself,  O  king !"  He  went  his 
way  and  placed  the  hollow  disk  in  a  scale.  Vainly  he 
sought  to  weigh  it  down  with  gold,  more  gold,  and  still 
more  gold.  He  threw  in  precious  stones  and  jewels,  urns 
and  chalices — in  vain !  threw  in  his  purple  robes,  his 
crown,  but  still  in  vain.  Then  he  bethought  himself  of 
the  word,  "  a  little  dust  will  cover  it."  A  handful  of  dust 
was  thrown  into  the  scale  and  the  eye-socket  went  up 
like  a  feather.  The  lesson  is  that  the  paths  of  glory  lead 
but  to  the  grave.  All  desire  of  sordid  gain  ends  at  the 
border-line  of  eternity.  A  handful  of  graveyard  mould 
will  cover  it. 

II.  The  fruit  of  the  fudas  tree  is  sin.  Lust,  when  it 
hath  conceived,  bringeth  forth  sin. 

The  taste  of  the  sacramental  wine  and  bread  was  on 
the  lips  of  the  man  of  Kerioth  when  he  went  out  of  the 
upper  chamber  and  betook  himself  to  the  Hall  of  Caiaphas. 
There  he  bargained  with  the  rulers  to  betray  his  Lord  for 
thirty  pieces  of  silver.  They  were  eager  to  receive  him. 
This  was  the  very  chance  for  which  they  had  waited 
long. 

"  When,"  they  asked  him,  "  wilt  thou  deliver  him  into 
our  hands?" 

"  This  very  night." 

"  And  where  ?" 

11  He  is  on  his  way,  at  this  moment,  to  the  garden  of 
the  oil-press,  on  the  slope  of  Olivet.  I  know  the  place 
well.  He  is  accustomed  to  resort  thither  for  meditation 
and  prayer.     I  will  lead  you." 

They  set  forth,  guards,  rabbis,  and  a  mob  with  swords 


300  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

and  staves  and  lanterns.  The  traitor  was  in  front.  He  led 
them  at  a  quick  pace  down  the  path  to  the  Kedron  and  up 
along  the  slope  of  the  opposite  hill.  They  entered  the  gate 
of  the  garden.  There  Judas  turned  and  said,  "  Whomso- 
ever I  shall  kiss,  the  same  is  he  ;  hold  him  fast."  And  so 
they  passed  on  until  they  came  to  the  grove  of  the  oil- 
press.  In  the  dim  light  of  the  moon  they  saw  him  yonder, 
and  Judas,  rushing  headlong  to  his  ruin,  drew  near  and 
threw  his  arms  about  him.  "  Hail,  Master  !"  he  cried, 
and  kissed  him.  The  word  here  used  is  that  of  a  lover 
and  a  maid — he  kissed  him  eagerly,  again  and  again.  In 
that  kiss  his  crime  reached  its  consummation.  It  marked 
a  sin  against  light,  a  sin  against  warning.  It  was  treach- 
ery, it  was  lese  viajest'e,  it  was  guilt  of  the  deepest,  dark- 
est dye. 

Let  us  not  mistake,  however,  in  thinking  of  this  as  an 
isolated  crime.  It  was  indeed  a  unique  opportunity  which 
came  to  Judas  Iscariot  thus  to  betray  the  innocent  Son  of 
God.  In  that  he  stands  alone,  yet  all  sin  has  in  it  the 
essence  of  treachery  against  Christ.  So  the  writer  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  speaks  of  certain  ones  who  by 
persistence  in  evil-doing  "  crucify  the  Lord  afresh  and 
put  him  to  an  open  shame." 

"Alas  for  me,  the  guilt  is  mine 
Whene'er  against  thy  will  benign 

My  treacherous  heart  hath  stood  ; 
Mine  are  the  lips  that  have  betrayed, 
Mine  is  the  debt  which  must  be  paid 
With  groans  and  tears  and  blood." 

III.  The  ashes  of  the  Judas  tree  are  death.  This  is 
the  gall-apple.  Sin,  when  it  is  finished,  bringeth  forth 
death.  The  sentence  of  the  traitor  is  recorded  in  the 
words,  "  It  were  better  for  him  had  he  never  been  born." 


JUDAS   ISCARIOT.  301 

Once  only  has  that  inscription  been  put  upon  the  tomb  of 
a  human  being.  In  other  similar  cases  the  veil  of  the 
awful  future  is  not  lifted.  Of  this  traitor  it  is  said,  "  He 
went  unto  his  own  place." 

In  the  brief  portion  of  his  life  that  followed  his  ultimate 
resolution  to  betray  Jesus  we  catch  three  glimpses  of  his 
face :  o?ice  when  he  hurried  from  the  upper  chamber  "  and 
it  was  night."  In  the  Wiertz  gallery  at  Brussels  there  is 
a  picture  of  this  man  wandering  about  on  that  dreadful 
night.  He  has  come  upon  a  group  of  workmen  who, 
wearied  by  their  labors,  have  fallen  asleep.  The  light  of 
the  moon  falls  upon  their  quiet  faces.  The  features  of 
Judas  are  distorted  with  evil  passion.  He  catches  sight 
of  the  cross  lying  on  the  ground,  the  carpenters'  tools 
beside  them.    He  clutches  his  money-bag  and  hurries  on. 

Again,  at  the  doorway  to  the  Hall  Gazith  where  the 
rabbis  are  in  session.  He  may  not  enter.  He  pauses  at 
the  doorway  for  a  moment,  his  face  haggard  and  con- 
vulsed with  an  unspeakable  despair.  With  the  cry,  "  I 
have  betrayed  innocent  blood  !"  he  hurls  the  thirty  pieces 
of  silver  down  upon  the  marble  floor.  His  heart  and 
conscience  are  on  fire.  He  hurries  out  again  into  the 
night. 

Once  more,  at  the  field  Aceldama;  the  body  of  the 
traitor  hangs  from  the  bough  of  a  tree  over  the  deep  abyss 
of  Hinnom.  We  may  not  linger  for  a  moment  here.  Sin, 
when  it  is  finished,  bringing  forth  death.  The  owls  in  the 
clefts  are  hooting,  "  Fool,  fool,  that  he  did  not  know  it !" 
The  weird  winds  are  moaning  through  the  boughs,  "  O 
fool,  not  to  have  known  that  the  wages  of  sin  is  death !" 

Two  words,  by  way  of  application.  One  is  a  word  of 
warning.  Let  him  who  would  avoid  the  mortal  sin  take 
heed  and  beware  of  the  beginnings  of  it.     When  Pompey 


302  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

could  not  prevail  upon  a  certain  city  to  billet  his  army  he 
besought  the  people  to  let  in  a  poor  maimed  soldier  for 
the  night.  That  night  the  maimed  soldier  opened  the 
gates  and  admitted  the  army.  An  illicit  desire  has  in  it 
the  promise  and  potency  of  mortal  sin. 

The  other  word  is  one  of  glorious  hope  and  promise. 
We  have  reason  to  believe  that  if  Judas  Iscariot,  at  any 
moment  before  his  death,  had  sought  God's  mercy  he 
would  have  found  it. 

11  Betwixt  the  saddle  and  the  ground 
Mercy  sought  is  mercy  found." 

Not  even  the  sin  of  Judas  was  beyond  pardon.  God  is  a 
great  Forgiver,  willing  to  forgive  unto  the  uttermost  all 
who  come  unto  him.  In  this  life  it  is  never  too  late  to 
mend.  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord,  I  have  no  pleasure  in 
the  death  of  the  wicked,  but  that  all  should  turn  and  live. 
Turn  ye  !  turn  ye  !  for  why  will  ye  die  ? 

If  mere  sorrow  for  ill- doing  could  give  assurance  of 
absolution,  we  might  believe  that  even  Judas  had  it.  But 
his  regret  appears  to  have  been  for  the  consequences  of 
his  guilt  and  not  for  his  guilt  itself  as  an  offence  against  a 
holy  God.  The  sin  of  Peter  in  denying  Jesus  was  in  many 
points  akin  with  that  of  the  wretched  traitor.  He  also 
was  overwhelmed  with  remorse,  insomuch  that  he  went 
out  and  wept  bitterly.  But  his  tears  were  mingled  with 
faith.  He  so  believed  in  the  pardoning  grace  of  Jesus  that 
he  could  not  be  driven  to  despair.  He  sought  the  pres- 
ence of  his  Lord  and  cried  in  deepest  contrition,  "  Thou 
knowest  that  I  love  thee  !"  The  old  monk  Staupitz  said 
to  Luther,  overwhelmed  with  shame,  "  The  true  repent- 
ance is  that  which  drives  the  soul  to  God." 

No  matter,  friend,  how  heavy  the  burden  of  guilt  that 


JUDAS   ISCARIOT.  303 

weighs  upon  thee,  God  is  a  great  Forgiver.  "  Come 
now,"  he  saith,  "and  let  us  reason  together;  though  your 
sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  whiter  than  snow ;  though 
they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool."  He 
waits  to  be  gracious.  He  waits  to  see  thee  sobbing  at  his 
feet  that  he  may  speak  the  word  of  pardon,  "  Son  !  daugh- 
ter !  thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee  !" 


304  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

ARAB'S  HARNESS. 


"  And  a  certain  man  drew  a  bow  at  a  venture,  and  smote  the  King  of 
Israel  between  the  joints  of  the  harness  ;  wherefore  he  said 
unto  the  driver  of  his  chariot,  Turn  thine  hand,  and  carry  me 
out  of  the  host ;  for  I  am  wounded."     i  Kings  22:34. 

There  is  something  good  in  every  man.  It  is  written 
of  Ahab,  the  son  of  Omri,  that  "  he  did  evil  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord  above  all  that  were  before  him."  And  yet  he 
was  a  splendid  man  in  many  ways — not  without  noble  im- 
pulses, bold  to  the  verge  of  desperation,  and  enterprising 
in  matters  pertaining  to  the  public  prosperity.  It  is  not 
surprising  that  despite  his  conspicuous  weaknesses  and 
the  divine  chastisement  upon  them,  the  kingdom  flourished 
under  his  administration.  He  had  one  fault  which  was 
the  bitter  fountain  of  all  his  woes,  namely,  he  had  no  reli- 
gion. There  were  splendid  possibilities  of  influence  and 
usefulness  in  this  man  which  were  never  realized  be- 
cause of  his  lack  of  moral  conviction.  So  when  he  took 
to  wife  Jezebel,  the  daughter  of  Eth-Baal,  and  when  she 
proposed  to  introduce  the  worship  of  her  pagan  gods,  he 
did  not  oppose  her  wishes.  The  new  Court  Establishment 
was  introduced  with  great  pomp  and  circumstance.  The 
king  was  quite  willing  to  farm  out  all  religious  matters  to 
his  wife,  who  was  ever  his  evil  genius. 

When  the  Syrian  king  challenged  him  to  conflict  at 
Ramoth-Gilead  he  gave  no  thought  to  the  God  of  Israel, 
but,  buckling  on  his  harness,  set  forth.  But  for  the  flaws 
in  his  armor  all  might  have  gone  well.  In  vain  did  the 
Syrians  search  the  ranks  of  Israel  for  the  commanding 


AIIAB'S   HARNESS.  305 

figure  of  the  king.  But  alas,  an  arrow  shot  at  a  venture 
found  him.  "  Carry  me  out  of  the  battle,"  he  cried,  "  for 
I  am  wounded !"  The  shaft  was  withdrawn,  but  the  harm 
was  done.     He  died  at  the  going  down  of  the  sun. 

We  observe  in  Ahab  a  type  of  character.  There  are 
men  of  generous  native  endowment  and  liberal  culture, 
of  magnanimous  impulse  and  high  ambition,  who  but 
for  their  lack  of  religion  would  make  a  glorious  success 
of  life.  Their  reliance  is  upon  their  high  sense  of  honor. 
They  run  well  so  long  as  there  is  nothing  to  hinder  them. 
They  are  beloved  by  their  friends  and  respected  by  all 
who  know  them. 

We  are  at  this  time  passing  through  a  period  of  finan- 
cial depression.  There  is  trouble  in  Wall  Street,  and  Wall 
Street,  the  palpitating  heart  of  American  financial  life, 
makes  its  trouble  felt  in  every  city  in  the  land.  Banks  are 
closing,  great  corporations  are  going  down  under  sudden 
stress.  The  loss  of  wealth  is  not  so  deplorable,  were  it  not 
attended  by  so  immense  a  loss  of  character.  We  hear  on 
every  hand  of  thefts,  embezzlements  and  doubtful  trans- 
actions, and  of  trusts  betrayed.  Men  who  have  mingled 
in  the  busy  throng  for  half  a  century,  with  never  a  stain 
upon  their  reputation,  are  hiding  themselves  for  shame. 
As  their  troubles  multiplied  upon  them  they  were  unable 
to  resist  temptation  to  evil.  One  stroke  of  the  pen,  per- 
haps, might  save  them.  It  was  done.  The  arrow  thus 
found  the  joint  in  their  harness.  Scores  of  men,  hitherto 
panoplied  in  pride  of  honor,  are  worse  than  dead  at  the 
going  down  of  the  sun. 

It  is  a  serious  thing  to  live,  for  life  is  conflict.     It  is 

well  that   we   should  understand  this.      We  wrestle  not 

against  flesh    and   blood,  but  against   principalities   and 

powers,  against  the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this  world, 

20 


306  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

against  wickedness  in  high  places.  The  world,  the 
flesh,  and  the  devil  are  arrayed  against  us — the  busy, 
sordid  world,  hurrying  us  away  from  the  consideration 
of  eternal  things  ;  the  flesh,  ourselves,  our  own  baser  na- 
tures ;  and  the  devil,  a  personal  deceiver,  against  whom 
there  is  no  resistance  possible  save  in  the  power  of  the 
living  God.  It  is  then  a  grievous  mistake  to  suppose  that 
we  can  get  on  without  religion.  No  man  can  safely  lean 
upon  his  own  strength.  The  sense  of  manly  honor  is  but 
a  feeble  reed  which  breaks  under  the  weight  of  trial  and 
sorrow  and  pierces  through  the  hand.  The  armor  of  the 
unreligious  man  is  sure  to  fail  him. 

I.  There  is  a  flaw  in  the  breast-plate  ;  the  breast-plate 
covers  the  heart,  and  the  heart  is  the  centre  of  life.  At 
this  point  religion  is  a  sure  defence.  It  sets  the  heart  right 
by  cleansing  it  of  sin,  and  it  covers  it  as  with  an  impen- 
etrable mail.     No  arrow  can  enter  there. 

II.  There  is  defect  in  the  helmet ;  the  helmet  covers 
the  brain,  the  seat  of  the  mind.  The  mind  sympathizes 
with  the  heart.  Affections  and  beliefs  go  together.  The 
natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  God,  neither  can 
he,  for  spiritual  things  are  spiritually  discerned. 

Philosophy  is  aptly  defined  as  a  knowledge  of  the  just 
relations  of  things.  The  natural  man  has  no  true  concep- 
tion of  his  relation  to  God.  He  magnifies  himself  and 
minimizes  Jehovah.  His  eyes  are  high  and  his  eyelids 
lifted  up.  If  he  could  catch  but  a  glimpse  of  God  he 
would  cry  like  Isaiah  of  old,  "  Woe  is  me,  for  I  am  a  man 
of  unclean  lips  and  mine  eyes  have  seen  the  King !" 

The  natural  man  knows  not  the  relative  importance  of 
character  and  reputation.  He  puts  the  emphasis  on  the 
outward  moralities.  "  What  more  is  required,"  he  says, 
"  than  to  be  true  and  honest  and  pay  one's  debts,  obey 


ARAB'S  HARNESS.  307 

the  law,  and  deal  fairly  with  one's  fellow-men  ?"  This  is 
morality  as  the  world  reckons  it — the  morality  which  makes 
reputation.  But  back  of  reputation,  deep  grounded  in 
a  spiritual  conception  of  spiritual  truth,  lies  character. 
The  watchword  of  true  manhood  is,  "  To  be,  not  seem 
to  be." 

The  natural  man  discerns  not  the  just  ratio  of  time  to 
eternity.  He  lives  in  the  small  circle  of  this  present  life. 
But  if  we  are  immortal,  then  time  is  only  as  the  flight  of 
the  eagle  overhead,  while  eternity  stretches  out  like  the 
boundless  sea.  Life  here  is  a  handbreadth ;  life  yonder 
is  endless  as  the  lifetime  of  God.  This  and  kindred  truths 
lie  beyond  the  ken  of  the  unreligious.  They  receive  them 
not,  neither  indeed  can  they,  for  their  minds  are  not  illu- 
mined by  the  Spirit,  and  the  chance  arrow  enters  the 
weak  helmet. 

III.  An  open  visor.  The  visor  covers  the  eyes.  As 
the  eyes  are  to  the  natural  body,  directing  one's  steps,  so 
is  conscience  to  the  soul.  But  conscience  again  sympa- 
thizes with  heart  and  mind.  If  the  affections  are  wrong, 
if  there  is  no  right  understanding  of  moral  truth,  then  the 
conscience  is  also  untrustworthy.  The  man  who  puts  his 
confidence  in  himself  alone  is  ever  in  danger,  like  the 
sophists,  of  "  making  the  worse  appear  the  better  reason." 
The  force  of  moral  distinctions  is  disturbed  by  considera- 
tions of  self-interest.  The  highest  aphorism  of  this  man 
is,  "  Honesty  is  the  best  policy,"  which  makes  policy  or 
self-interest  the  supreme  thing. 

It  is  saddening  to  observe  how  many  of  our  most 
reputable  men  are  wont  to  take  refuge  in  evil-doing  under 
the  shield  of  great  corporations.  It  is  true  that  corpora- 
tions are  soulless,  but  their  affairs  are  administered  by 
men  of  immortal  souls.     And  were  it  not  for  a  melancholy 


308  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 

default  of  conscience,  the  stockholders  of  our  great  trusts 
and  monopolies  must  perforce  regard  themselves  as  re- 
sponsible for  their  ill-doing.  Be  not  partakers  of  other 
men's  sins. 

A  similar  token  of  the  untrustworthiness  of  a  personal 
sense  of  honor  in  matters  pertaining  to  conscience  may- 
be seen  in  the  present  conduct  of  the  press.  Its  editors,  as 
a  rule,  are  respectable  men,  yet  taking  advantage  of  their 
impersonal  position,  they  often  array  themselves  against 
measures  directed  at  the  purification  of  political  and  social 
life.  In  their  individual  affairs  they  would  recoil  from  the 
violation  of  a  law  or  the  breach  of  a  contract,  and  yet,  with 
scarcely  an  exception,  they  uphold  the  Directorate  of  the 
Columbian  Fair  who  have  been  guilty  just  there.  It  ap- 
pears that  the  conscience  of  the  man  who  sets  religion 
aside  is  not  to  be  trusted  in  the  thick  of  conflict.  The 
chance  arrow  enters  at  his  eyes. 

IV.  A  loose  girdle.  In  the  olden  time,  at  the  sound  of 
the  tocsin,  the  order  was  given  to  tighten  the  girdle,  and 
so  strengthen  the  loins.  This  girdle  corresponds  with  the 
will.  But  the  will  sympathizes  with  heart  and  brain  and 
conscience.  The  natural  man  is  wont  to  trust  to  his 
resolution  ;  yet  how  often  it  occurs  that  when  most  needed, 
resolution  fails. 

The  most  suggestive  proof  of  the  weakness  of  the  hu- 
man will" is  in  the  so-called  Keely  Cure  for  inebriety.  We 
were  accustomed  to  say  to  the  inebriate,  "  If  you  would 
conquer  your  habit,  lay  hold  on  God ;"  and  we  were  an- 
swered, "  I  can  do  this  thing  myself;  all  depends  upon 
the  power  of  resolution.  Where  there  is  a  will  there  is  a 
way."  Now,  however,  on  all  hands  there  is  an  appeal  to 
something  beyond  the  province  of  the  will. 

It  must  needs  be  that  a  man  who  has  fallen  under  the 


ARAB'S  HARNESS.  309 

domination  of  a  habit  shall  have  help  from  without,  for 
the  conflict  is  one  of  self  against  self.  We  go  out  against 
our  darling  sins.  A  soldier  who  had  fought  valiantly  in 
many  battles  met  one  day  at  close  quarters  an  enemy 
the  sight  of  whose  face  paralyzed  his  arm.  It  was  his 
own  brother.  He  could  not  fire  at  him  !  But  how  much 
more  difficult  it  is  for  a  man  to  contend  against  himself! 
We  need  the  strengthening  of  the  Mighty  One.  O  God 
hold  thou  me  up  ! 

V.  No  shield.  The  shield  covered  the  whole  person 
from  head  to  foot.  The  shield  of  the  believer  is  faith. 
Here  is  the  secret  of  his  defence :  he  believes  in  God  as 
his  Creator,  who  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of 
life ;  he  believes  in  God  as  his  Preserver,  caring  for  him 
as  He  cares  for  the  flowers  of  the  field  and  the  birds  of 
the  air ;  he  believes  in  God  as  his  Saviour,  who  came  to 
suffer  and  to  die  for  his  deliverance  from  sin ;  he  believes  in 
God  as  his  Sanctifier,  who  stands  ever  near  strengthening, 
emboldening,  and  building  him  up  in  character  by  giving 
him  a  practical  acquaintance  with  truth  and  righteous- 
ness ;  he  believes  in  God  as  his  Sovereign,  competent  to 
rule  over  and  able  to  protect  him.  We  are  told  that 
there  is  an  epidemic  of  suicide  at  this  time.  If  the  soul  is 
without  the  defence  of  faith,  if  it  has  no  strong  confidence 
in  God  and  truth  and  morality,  what  shall  hinder  the 
reckless  deed — 

"  Mad  from  life's  history, 
Glad  to  death's  mystery 
Swift  to  be  hurled — 
Anywhere,  anywhere,  out  of  the  world!" 

VI.  No  sword.  The  sword  of  the  Spirit  is  the  Word 
of  God.     He  is  an  unarmed   man  who  trusts  to  mere 


310  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

opinion  and  conjecture.  Our  effective  weapon  is  a 
"  Thus  saith  the  Lord."  Our  Saviour  when  tempted  in 
the  wilderness  thus  defended  himself.  "  Cause  that  these 
stones  shall  be  made  bread,"  said  his  adversary.  "  No," 
he  answered,  "  it  is  written,  Man  shall  not  live  by  bread 
alone,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth 
of  God."  "Behold  the  kingdoms,"  said  the  tempter; 
"  all  these  shall  be  thine  if  thou  wilt  but  fall  down  and 
worship  me."  "  No,"  said  Jesus,  "  it  is  written,  Thou  shalt 
worship  the  Lord  thy  God."  "Cast  thyself  down,"  said 
the  Evil  One,  "  for  he  shall  give  his  angels  charge  over 
thee."  "  No,"  answered  our  Saviour,  "  tt  is  written,  Thou 
shalt  not  tempt  the  Lord  thy  God."  The  sword  of  the 
Spirit  which  was  flashed  so  effectively  in  the  wilderness 
that  day  is  an  effective  weapon  to-day  for  every  one  who 
will  use  it. 

Thus  it  is  seen  that  the  panoply  of  the  natural  man 
who  is  without  religion  is  defective  at  every  point.  It 
may  indeed  serve  him  for  a  season,  but  it  fails  at  the  crit- 
ical moment.  Has  this  been  your  dependence,  good 
friend  ?  And  have  you  found  it  vain  ?  What  shall  be 
done  ?  Come  to  the  Lord's  citadel  and  prepare  yourself 
for  life's  conflict.  "  Take  unto  you  the  whole  armor  of 
God,  that  ye  may  be  able  to  withstand  in  the  evil  day,  and 
having  done  all,  to  stand.  Stand,  therefore,  having  your 
loins  girt  about  with  truth,  and  having  on  the  breastplate 
of  righteousness,  and  your  feet  shod  with  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  gospel  of  peace;  above  all,  taking  the  shield 
of  faith,  wherewith  ye  shall  be  able  to  quench  all  the  fiery 
darts  of  the  wicked.  And  take  the  helmet  of  salvation, 
and  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the  word  of  God." 
Eph.  6:  13-17. 

And  then  watch  and  pray  !     The  need  of  watchfulness 


AHAB'S    HARNESS.  3  I  I 

lies  in  the  fact  that  we  are  not  yet  fully  free  from  the 
bondage  of  our  sin.  If  we  have  trusted  in  Jesus,  our  pan- 
oply cannot  be  pierced,  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail 
against  us ;  but  it  may  be  dented  and  we  may  be  hard  be- 
stead. Watch,  therefore,  lest  ye  be  brought  into  shame 
and  sorrow  by  reason  of  sin. 

And  pray,  pray  without  ceasing. 

"  Prayer  is  the  Christian's  vital  breath, 
The  Christian's  native  air, 
His  watchword  at  the  gates  of  death  : 
He  enters  heaven  by  prayer." 

So  panoplied  and  armed,  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith, 
lay  hold  on  eternal  life,  and  God's  grace  be  with  you  ! 


312  "THE   MORNING    COMETH." 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  VINEYARD. 


"  Judge,  I  pray  you,  betwixt  me  and  my  vineyard.  What  could  have 
been  done  more  to  my  vineyard  that  I  have  not  done  in  it?" 
Isa.  5:3. 

The  reign  of  Uzziah  was  marked  by  peace  and  pros- 
perity. His  name  means  the  "strength  of  Jehovah,"  and 
surely  God  helped  him.  The  wild  Arab  tribes  were  sub- 
dued, the  Amorites  were  forced  to  pay  tribute,  the  fort- 
resses of  the  Philistines  were  brought  low,  the  internal 
resources  of  the  kingdom  were  developed  on  every  side, 
towers  were  built  on  the  frontiers  of  the  desert,  wells  were 
digged  in  the  Jordan  valley,  fields  were  planted  on  the 
sunny  slopes  of  Carmel.  Thus  it  is  written,  "  The  king 
strengthened  himself  exceedingly."  The  dews  and  rains 
of  heaven  were  not  withheld,  harvests  were  plenteous, 
garners  were  full.  But  prosperity  brought  on  spiritual 
pride ;  true  worship  declined ;  the  people,  while  keeping 
up  outward  forms  of  devotion,  forsook  the  Lord. 

Then  Isaiah  came  to  admonish  them.  He  stood  be- 
tween the  pillars  of  the  temple  and  cried,  "  Hear,  O 
heavens,  and  give  ear,  O  earth,  for  the  Lord  hath  spo- 
ken :  I  have  nourished  and  brought  up  children,  and  they 
have  rebelled  against  me.  The  ox  knoweth  his  owner, 
and  the  ass  his  master's  crib ;  but  Israel  doth  not  know, 
my  people  doth  not  consider."     Isa.  1  :  2,  3. 

Still  the  formal  services  of  the  sanctuary  went  on ;  the 
brazen  altar  smoked  continually  and  the  golden  altar  sent 
up  an  unceasing  tribute  of  gratitude.  It  was  the  mere 
outward  shell  of  worship,  with  which  God  is  never  pleased. 


THE   SONG   OF   THE  VINEYARD.  313 

Again  Isaiah  lifted  his  voice  in  the  temple  porch  :  "  To 
what  purpose  is  the  multitude  of  your  sacrifices  unto  me  ? 
saith  the  Lord  ;  I  am  full  of  the  burnt-ofTerings  of  rams, 
and  the  fat  of  fed  beasts.  When  ye  come  to  appear 
before  me,  who  hath  required  this  at  your  hand,  to  tread 
my  courts  ?  Bring  no  more  vain  oblations ;  incense  is 
an  abomination  unto  me ;  the  new  moons  and  sabbaths, 
the  calling  of  assemblies,  I  cannot  away  with.  I  am  weary 
to  bear  them.  When  ye  spread  forth  your  hands  I  will 
hide  mine  eyes  from  you  :  yea,  when  ye  make  many 
prayers  I  will  not  hear;  your  hands  are  full  of  blood. 
Wash  you,  make  you  clean ;  put  away  the  evil  of  your 
doings  from  before  mine  eyes ;  cease  to  do  evil,  learn  to 
do  well."     Isa.  1 :  n-17. 

All  else  failing,  the  Lord  resorted  to  chastisement,  blow 
upon  blow  :  the  visitation  of  locusts,  the  drought,  the 
earthquake,  in  which  the  valleys  were  cleft  asunder  and 
the  mountains  were  melted  as  in  a  furnace.  Again  the 
prophet  lifted  up  his  voice :  "  Why  should  ye  be  stricken 
any  more?  The  whole  head  is  sick  and  the  whole  heart 
faint.  Your  country  is  desolate,  your  cities  burned  with 
fire,  and  the  daughter  of  Zion  is  left  as  a  cottage  in  a  vine- 
yard, as  a  lodge  in  a  garden  of  cucumbers.  Come  now, 
and  let  us  reason  together,  saith  the  Lord :  though  your 
sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow ;  though 
they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool.  If  ye  be 
willing  and  obedient,  ye  shall  eat  the  good  of  the  land. 
The  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it." 

It  was  on  one  of  these  frequent  occasions  ot  admoni- 
tion that  the  song  of  the  vineyard  was  uttered.  It  is  a 
poem  of  wonderful  beauty.  "  I  will  sing  a  song  of  my 
beloved  touching  his  vineyard.  My  beloved  hath  a 
vineyard  in  a  very  fruitful  hill :  and  he  fenced  it  and  gath- 


314  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

ered  out  the  stones  thereof,  and  planted  it  with  the  choi- 
cest vine,  and  built  a  tower  in  the  midst  of  it,  and  also 
made  a  winepress  therein ;  and  he  looked  that  it  should 
bring  forth  grapes,  and  it  brought  forth  wild  grapes. 
And  now,  O  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  and  men  of  Judah, 
judge,  I  pray  you,  betwixt  me  and  my  vineyard.  What 
could  have  been  done  more  to  my  vineyard  that  I  have 
not  done  in  it  ?  wherefore,  when  I  looked  that  it  should 
bring  forth  grapes,  brought  it  forth  wild  grapes  ?  And 
now  go  to ;  I  will  tell  you  what  I  will  do  to  my  vineyard : 
I  will  take  away  the  hedge  thereof,  and  it  shall  be  eaten 
up  ;  and  break  down  the  wall  thereof,  and  it  shall  be  trod- 
den down ;  and  I  will  lay  it  waste ;  it  shall  not  be  pruned 
nor  digged ;  but  there  shall  come  up  thorns  and  briars  ;  I 
will  also  command  the  clouds  that  they  rain  no  rain  upon 
it.  For  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord  of  hosts  is  the  house  of 
Israel,  and  the  men  of  Judah  his  pleasant  plant ;  and  he 
looked  for  judgment,  but  behold  oppression ;  for  right- 
eousness, but  behold  a  cry."     Isa.  5  :  1-7. 

Here  is  God's  vindication  of  himself  in  his  dealings 
with  the  children  of  men.  He  means  them  well ;  he 
would  have  them  to  be  saved.  "As  I  live,  saith  the 
Lord,"  swearing  by  himself  because  he  could  swear  by  no 
greater,  "  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked, 
but  that  he  should  turn  from  his  ways  and  live."  "  Turn 
ye,  turn  ye,  for  why  will  ye  die  ?"  In  these  overtures  of 
mercy  he  is  no  respecter  of  persons.  All  have  a  fair 
chance,  nothing  is  exacted  which  is  not  reasonable.  His 
voice  calls,  his  hands  beckon  ;  if  anybody  is  lost  it  will  not 
be  God's  fault.  Here  is  his  appeal:  "Judge  ye  betwixt 
me  and  my  vineyard — what  more  could  have  been  done 
that  I  have  not  done  in  it?" 

It  is  here  suggested  that  God  has  exhausted  his  re- 


THE  SONG  OF  THE   VINEYARD.  3 1  5 

sources,  so  to  speak,  in  our  behalf.  Let  us  observe  in 
three  particulars  what  God  has  done  to  bring  the  human 
race  up  to  a  realization  of  its  high  destiny. 

I.  The  planti?ig  of  the  tree.  Man,  as  originally 
created,  was  in  a  state  of  moral  equilibrium.  He  was 
innocent,  but  without  that  form  of  positive  character  which 
is  the  result  of  exercise.  If  he  is  to  possess  this  he  must 
strive  for  it.  Fixed  character  is  the  outcome  of  trial. 
The  tree  in  the  garden  was  designed  to  be  the  touch- 
stone of  Adam's  character.  "  In  the  day  that  thou 
eatest  thereof,"  he  was  admonished,  "  thou  shalt  surely 
die."  He  is  there  to  obey  or  not.  This  is  in  the  ne- 
cessity of  the  case.  It  is  inconceivable  that  God  could 
have  created  man  in  his  own  likeness  without  endowing 
him  with  a  sovereign  will — but  that  implies  the  liberty  to 
break  the  command  as  well  as  to  keep  it.  If  the  man 
obeys  he  will  be  confirmed  in  character  and  fit  for  his 
high  destiny  as  an  heir  of  God.  Yonder  is  the  tree. 
Here  is  Adam  with  his  free  will.  He  has  the  opportunity, 
literally,  of  making  a  man  of  himself.  As  Edward  III. 
said  to  the  Black  Prince,  when  hard  pressed  at  the 
battle  of  Cressy,  "  Son,  win  thy  spurs  to-day,"  so  God 
gives  to  Adam  this  opportunity.     But  he  lost  it. 

Was  there  anything  unfair  or  unreasonable  in  this 
trial  ?  Was  the  ordeal  beyond  the  power  of  this  man  ? 
No,  the  garden  was  full  of  trees  laden  with  fruit.  There 
was  only  one  tree  there  of  which  it  was  said,  "  Thou  shalt 
not  eat  of  it."  The  disobedience  of  Adam  must  be  re- 
garded as  an  utterly  perverse  and  quite  unreasonable 
thing.  In  spite  of  God's  command  and  distinct  admoni- 
tion, he  disobeyed  and  fell.  And  the  results  of  that  fall 
have  been  transmitted  to  his  children  for  evermore.  How 
could  it  be  otherwise  ?     Heredity  is  an  established  fact. 


316  "THE    MORNING    COMETH." 

Whether  we  like  it  or  not,  it  is  a  tremendous  fact.  The 
drunkard's  son  suffers  for  his  father's  folly.  He  bears  the 
shame,  the  poverty  of  it.  He  inherits  the  vicious  appe- 
tite, the  dimmed  intellect,  the  seared  conscience,  the  pal- 
sied will.  Is  this  unjust  ?  Whether  unjust  or  not,  it  is 
an  indubitable  fact.  It  is  under  this  law  of  heredity  that 
we  have  come  by  "  original  sin."  We  were  there  when 
Adam  sinned,  we  were  ipso  facto  in  the  garden,  and  could 
not  but  receive  the  taint  of  our  father's  guilt.  In  Adam's 
fall  we  sinned  all. 

Thus  the  tree  which  was  designed  for  the  confirmation 
of  man's  character  must,  from  our  standpoint,  be  regarded 
as  a  failure.  What  shall  be  done  now  ?  Will  God  give 
Adam  up  ?  will  he  leave  him  and  his  children  to  their 
fate  ?  In  all  reason,  yes  !  They  deserved  it.  But  he  is 
a  gracious  God,  slow  to  anger  and  plenteous  in  mercy. 
He  will  save  this  man  and  his  children  yet.  The  world 
made  for  his  glory  shall  ultimately  be  inhabited  by  a  holy 
people. 

II.  The  giving  of  the  law.  This  is  the  covenant  of 
works.  The  moral  law  was  given  for  the  uplifting  of  the 
race.  It  was  a  gratuity.  We  are  accustomed  to  make 
grace  the  antithesis  of  law.  In  fact,  however,  the  law 
itself  is  free  grace.  It  was  of  God's  good  pleasure  that  he 
said,  "  Do  these  things  and  ye  shall  live  by  them." 

Observe,  (i.)  The  law  has  in  it  a  genuiyie  possibility 
of  life.  The  word  tor  ah,  its  Hebrew  original,  means  a 
finger,  an  index  ringer  pointing  to  heaven. 

Observe,  (2.)  It  is  naturally  possible  to  keep  the  law. 
Otherwise  it  would  have  been  a  mockery  to  give  it.  This 
is  capable  of  demonstration.  You  can  lay  your  finger  on 
no  sin  in  all  your  past  life  and  say,  "  I  could  not  avoid  it." 
Sin  is  net  sin  unless  it  is  voluntary,  that  is  to  say,  avoid- 


THE   SONG   OF   THE  VINEYARD.  3 17 

able.  Every  act  of  impurity,  untruthfulness,  dishonesty, 
impiety  that  ever  was  committed  was  wrought  in  pure 
perverseness,  and  the  whole  indictment  of  our  lives  is 
made  up  of  single  sins.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  we 
might  have  kept  the  law. 

Observe,  (3.)  The  law  has  power  to  save  only  when  it 
is  kept  to  the  letter.  "  Cursed  be  he  that  confirmeth  not 
all  the  words  of  this  law  to  do  them."  Yet  again,  "  Who- 
soever shall  keep  the  whole  law,  and  yet  offend  in  one 
point,  he  is  guilty  of  all."  The  strength  of  an  anchor- 
chain  is  measured  by  the  strength  of  its  weakest  link. 
Break  that,  and  the  ship  is  at  the  mercy  of  the  storm. 
Obedience  is  the  electric  wire  that  binds  earth  to  heaven. 
Cut  out  a  single  inch  and  the  circuit  is  broken,  the  soul  is 
alienated  from  God. 

Observe,  (4.)  So  far  as  we  are  aware  the  law  was 
never  kept  by  any  man.  You  never  kept  it ;  you  never 
heard  of  any  one  that  kept  it.  God  himself  says  that  he 
looked  down  from  heaven  to  see  if  there  was  any  that 
wrought  righteousness,  and  "  Behold  there  is  none  that 
doeth  good,  no,  not  one."  Paul  says  we  are  all  "  conclu- 
ded under  sin,  there  is  no  difference ;  we  have  all  sinned 
and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God." 

It  would  appear,  therefore,  that  the  law  also,  as  de- 
signed to  bring  men  into  the  possession  of  positive  char- 
acter, was  a  failure.  Its  value  lies  not  in  its  saving  power, 
but  in  the  fact  that  it  serves  as  a  schoolmaster  to  lead  the 
soul  to  something  further  on.  We  are  accustomed  to  re- 
gard Moses,  and  rightly  so,  as  the  personation  of  the  law. 
He  did  not  enter  into  the  Land  of  Promise.  Up  at  the 
summit  of  Nebo  he  looked  abroad  upon  it,  the  broad  acres 
clothed  with  verdure,  bathed  in  Oriental  sunshine — but  he 
could  not  enter  in.     The  man  who  lives   under  the  law 


3.i8 

will  never  be  saved  by  it.  He  may,  like  the  young  ruler 
whom  Jesus  loved,  be  not  far  from  the  kingdom,  but  by 
reason  of  imperfect  obedience  he  cannot  enter  in. 

III.  The  rearing  of  the  cross.  This  is  the  covenant 
of  grace.  "  For  what  the  law  could  not  do  in  that  it  was 
weak  through  the  flesh,  God,  sending  his  own  Son  in  the 
likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and  for  sin,  condemned  sin  in  the 
flesh,  that  the  righteousness  of  the  law  might  be  fulfilled 
in  us,  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh  but  after  the  Spirit." 
(Rom.  8  :  3,  4.)  He  sent  his  only-begotten  Son  to  make 
overtures  for  our  deliverance,  saying,  "  God  so  loved  the 
world  that  he  gave  his  only-begotten  Son,  that  whoso- 
ever believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  ever- 
lasting life."  Two  necessary  things  are  wrought  under  this 
covenant  of  grace  which  must  otherwise  remain  undone: 

(1.)  Forgiveness.  The  mislived  past  is  erased  and 
forgiven.  This  is  impossible  under  the  law.  The  law 
knows  no  pardon,  but  the  bleeding  hand  of  Jesus  nails  to 
the  cross  the  handwriting  of  ordinances  which  was 
against  us  and  takes  it  out  of  the  way.  He  satisfies  the 
law  by  expiating  our  sins  and  thus  solves  the  problem, 
how  God  could  be  just  and  yet  justify  the  ungodly. 
The  cross  is  the  wine-press  set  in  the  midst  of  the  vine- 
yard. Out  of  heaven  came  the  only-begotten  Son  of  the 
Father  to  tread  the  winepress  alone.  The  wine  that 
flowed  forth  was  for  our  deliverance — the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin — and  without  the  shedding 
of  blood  there  is  no  remission  of  sin. 

(2.)  Justification.  We  need  not  pardon  only,  but  a 
positive  righteousness  which  shall  entitle  us  to  an  abun- 
dant entrance  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

But  this  we  cannot  win  for  ourselves,  it  is  bestowed 
upon  us  by  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus   Christ.     The 


THE   SONG   OF   THE   VINEYARD.  319 

same  pierced  hand  that  nailed  our  indictment  to  the  ac- 
cursed tree  casts  about  us  the  garment  of  the  Lord's 
righteousness,  fine  linen,  white  and  clean.  Thus  our 
justification  is  completed.  The  watch-tower  is  built  in 
the  midst  of  the  vineyard  and  God  himself  keeps  guard. 
"  No  man  shall  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand,"  he  says ; 
"  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  them."  "  What 
shall  we  say  then  to  these  things  ?  If  God  is  for  us,  who 
is  against  us?  He  that  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but 
delivered  him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not  also  with 
him  freely  give  us  all  things  ?  Who  shall  lay  anything 
to  the  charge  of  God's  elect  ?  It  is  God  that  justifieth  ; 
who  is  he  that  shall  condemn  ?  It  is  Christ  Jesus  that 
died,  yea  rather,  that  was  raised  from  the  dead,  who  is  at 
the  right  hand  of  God,  who  also  maketh  intercession  for 
us.  Who  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of  Christ  ?  shall 
tribulation,  or  anguish,  or  persecution,  or  famine,  or  na- 
kedness, or  peril,  or  sword  ?  Even  as  it  is  written,  For 
thy  sake  we  are  killed  all  the  day  long;  we  were  ac- 
counted as  sheep  for  the  slaughter.  Nay,  in  all  these 
things  we  are  more  than  conquerors  through  him  that 
loved  us.  For  I  am  persuaded  that  neither  death,  nor 
life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things 
present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor 
any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the 
love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord." 

As  Moses  stands  for  the  personation  of  the  law,  so 
Joshua  stands  for  the  living  type  of  grace.  What  Moses 
could  not  do,  Joshua  did  ;  he  entered  into  the  Promised 
Land  and  led  the  people  with  him  dry  shod,  passing  be- 
tween the  crystal  walls  of  the  river ;  and  they  took  posses- 
sion of  the  land. 

The  challenge  of  the  Lord  is  therefore  submitted  to 


320  "THE   MORNING   COMETH." 

you  as  reasonable  men,  "  What  more  could  have  been 
done  to  my  vineyard  that  I  have  not  done  in  it  ?"  The 
sequence  of  that  question  is  another — "  How  shall  we  es- 
cape if  we  neglect  so  great  salvation  ?"  "And  when  the 
king  came  in  to  see  the  guests,  he  saw  there  a  man  which 
had  not  on  a  wedding-garment ;  and  he  said  unto  him, 
Friend,  how  earnest  thou  in  hither  not  having  a  wedding- 
garment?"  And  he  was  speechless.  "  Was  it  not  offered 
thee  at  the  door?  was  it  not  offered  for  naught?"  And 
the  man  could  answer  not  a  word.  So  shall  they  be  at 
the  great  Reckoning  who  have  lived  in  gospel  light  and 
yet  rejected  all  the  overtures  of  grace.  They  will  answer 
not  a  word.  How  can  they  ?  There  will  be  nothing  to 
say. 


Date  Due 


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1                    I 

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f) 

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